Double Vision
by boswifedeb
Summary: A nightmarish vision of a clown leads Houston back to Los Angeles to help out Hoyt on two murder cases even though the PI has been banished from the LAPD. Working outside the department the pair - along with the help of another friend - work to track down the killer. Will they catch him in time to prevent another death? Immediately follows "Dragon's Lair". Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Double Vision**

"_**Necessity is the mother of taking chances."**_

_**Mark Twain**_

**01**

"**Damn it." Matt wiped sweat off of his face for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last hour as he peered out through the rain lashed windshield of the car. The late afternoon thunderstorm that was rolling through had buffeted the old Mercury with wind and hail, the latter of which had graced it with what an optimist might call added ventilation, but he had called it several other names none of which he would say in the presence of his children or even CJ or Madre Rosa; the two women would likely team up to wash out his mouth.**

"**Can you see anything?" From the passenger seat Detective Chuck Wylie was doing his best to staunch the flow of water entering the car through one of the newly acquired ventilation holes, the t-shirt that he had just removed from the floorboard quickly turning a darker and more disgusting color.**

"**Not really. Best we can hope is that he doesn't like the weather any more than we do." As he spoke the rain began to lessen and in a couple of minutes had almost stopped. He and Chuck both rolled down the windows, enjoying a breath of fresh air that they had been denied for over two hours. Had the windows been down during the monsoon the pair had just ridden out the interior of the Mercury would have been even soggier. **

"**Crap. The sun's coming out," Wylie groaned. "Don't know which is worse: drowning inside a leaky car or getting smothered by the damn humidity outside."**

"**I'll take the humidity - this car smells like a herd of wet goats. What in the hell did De la Cruz do in this thing?"**

"**Don't think it was all him - it was assigned to Narco before he got it. And what do you know about wet goats? You've only got cattle and horses." Removing the t-shirt from the over one inch hole in the windshield, Chuck held it outside and began wringing water out of it, the smell rising up into the car along with the steam from the pavement causing him to involuntarily gag. **

"**I was in Afghanistan, remember? Hang on, we've got movement…" Matt slumped down in the seat as much as possible, which wasn't much due to the fact that the adjustment bracket on the seat was broken. The last forty eight hours that he had spent in the car had been tortuous: his six foot three inch frame had been crammed into the minimal space where just trying to move his legs had been tricky. Although Chuck was a few inches shorter, he was heavier and couldn't even fit behind the wheel, much less steer it. **

**The pair watched as their target, one Emirik Selkirk emerged from the small house. "He sure lives up to his nickname. Looks just like a weasel." Selkirk stood at just under five feet tall and weighed about 120 soaking wet. His watery brown eyes and unshaven appearance along with a ski slope nose just enhanced his reputation as a slick character. He was wanted on a laundry list of charges including bank fraud, mail fraud, and theft of property over $10,000 and had eluded both law enforcement and the bounty hunter that had been enlisted to locate him.**

**Wylie nodded. "I'd sure hate to be the bondsman who signed for him." The reply was a grunt. "Annnnnd he's getting in the car." **

**Matt waited until Selkirk started the engine and backed out of the driveway, heading east on Tarley Street. He turned the key. Nothing. A few colorful words were heard as he tried again before hitting the ignition switch with the palm of his hand: it roared to life, the engine revved up to the max. He slapped it into gear and the slick tires spun on the wet pavement causing the car to yaw momentarily. A black cloud of exhaust spewed from the back end and both men cursed some more. "Where the hell did he go?"**

"**There!" Wylie pointed a few blocks up where the old Caddy was turning north on Elysian. The black cloud of smoke dissipated and the engine of the Mercury smoothed out slightly as they neared the intersection. Matt pulled within a couple of car lengths and both men breathed a sigh of relief. **

**Selkirk looked in the rearview mirror, his nose twitching, and hammered the accelerator. The Caddy rocketed east onto Euel and then swung around the curve headed south. "The son of a bitch smelled us!" Chuck stared in disbelief. "His damn nose was twitching!"**

**The car lurched as it began missing, then backfired and caught again as Houston maneuvered it around the curve, fishtailing for a few seconds. "Pard, we're going to block him. Get ready." He floored it and got around Selkirk just as the engine gave a loud backfire. Another massive cloud of black smoke came from the exhaust and their quarry blindly rear-ended the Mercury just as there was a small explosion under the hood causing it to fly off and crash onto the street. Matt rammed his elbow into the door trying to get it open but it wouldn't budge. Crawling through the open window, he quickly drew his pistol and went toward the driver's side of the Caddy. "Selkirk, out of the car! Now!"**

**The weaselly little man was clawing to get out of the passenger side and quickly found the barrel of Chuck's service weapon right in front of his face. He immediately stopped and went cross-eyed. **

"**Hands! Now!" Wiley reached back for his cuffs and began hooking up the man, then took Matt's and put them on the skinny man's ankles as his partner called for transport for the prisoner and a couple of tow trucks. Both detectives continued to hold the man at gunpoint until help arrived and he was shackled and stuffed into the back of a van with a chain running between the cuffs, the shackles, and the d-ring in the floor of the van. **

**Over an hour later the two returned to headquarters on Baker Street to a round of first applause and then jeers as the smell that came off of them drifted through the air.**

**As they showered in the locker room and tried to get rid of the odor of nearly two days spent in the stench of the Mercury the pair congratulated each other on a job well done.**

"**I think we deserve a medal." Wiley turned off the water and reached for a towel.**

"**For what? Catching Selkirk or killing the Mercury?" Matt had rinsed off for the second time, took a sniff of his arm and then reached for the soap yet again.**

"**Daddy's home!" The shout went up from where the three youngest members of the Houston family had been playing their latest fascination of pirates on the area of the playground that was designed like a ship. Foam swords were dropped and the band of merry rogues hustled over to where he was exiting the SUV. CJ stood on the top step soaking in the sight as the kids swarmed Matt. Vinnie and Mike fought to carry the plastic bag he had in tow while Catey took his hand. The rowdy group scrambled up the steps where Matt pulled his wife into a big hug and the pair shared a kiss over the objections of the pirate crew. She pulled away from him slightly, her nose wrinkled. "Did you find a skunk somewhere?"**

"**No, but the car we had to use smelled something fierce. Thought I had washed it all off."**

"**Uh, no. Better try again." **

**The entire group gave a disgusted sound as the twins argument over the bag resulted in it being ripped, allowing the smelly clothes to be exposed. **

"**Oh, hon. No." CJ covered her nose and the kids abandoned the porch in favor of the safety of the high seas once again. "Just throw them away."**

**He picked the offensive garments up holding them at arm's length and took them to the trash can. She was fanning the air as he returned and tried to kiss her again. **

"**Sweetie, just please...ugh. Please go shower."**

"**Not gonna have any skin left…" He grumbled as he started through the kitchen, causing housekeeper Madre Rosa to utter a few oaths in Spanish as her senses were assaulted.**

**Nearly two hours later Matt was sliding into a pair of sweatpants while on the phone with Chuck. "Tomato juice. It was CJ's idea. She thought I had run across a skunk somewhere and that's what you use on a dog when they get sprayed." He listened to his friend. "Well, it works. She finally let me out of the damn tub."**

**CJ came through the bedroom with a garbage bag carrying the set of clothes he had worn home. "Mattlock William Houston! I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap!" **

**On the other end of the call Chuck was laughing. "Good thing she didn't hear what you said earlier."**

"**Tell me about it." Matt watched as she exited the room headed for the garbage can out back. "Talk to you later, bud. I'm going to see if I'm allowed to eat now." He heard more laughter and disconnected the call. **

**After pulling on a t-shirt he padded down to the kitchen to find that Madre Rosa had indeed saved him some supper and as he sat down to eat the kids ventured in to see if it was safe to be around him once more. They told him all about their adventures that day and then the group headed into the den for a little playtime. The evening ended with Matt falling asleep in the floor using a teddy bear for a pillow and surrounded by his kids and several hundred building blocks. **

**After Sheila herded the children off to bed, CJ finally roused her husband out of his sleep and convinced him that their bed would be far more comfortable than the floor.**


	2. Chapter 2

**02**

**The sounds of calliope music floated to him through the night air along with laughter and chatter. There were flashes of brightly colored lights and then suddenly a face appeared right in front of him, a crazy painted face with green hair and glowing red eyes just inches from his own and he suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath and punching at the air.**

"**What on Earth?" CJ reached for him. "Matt! Hon. Wake up." **

**He jumped from the bed looking wildly around the room. "Easy, baby. You were having a dream." **

**Coming across the bed she took him by the hand and felt as he shook. "Are you okay? Come sit down." Easing him back to their bed she sat down next to him. "What was it?"**

"**A clown." He was trying to calm down now, taking deep breaths before describing exactly what he had seen. He went to the divan at the foot of the bed and began dressing. **

"**Hon, it's just after three. Come try to get some more rest."**

"**Nuh uh." He slid into the socks first, then put his feet into the jeans that were over the tops of his duty boots. After zipping them up he grabbed the T-shirt laying there and put it on before standing and zipping the jeans and buckling his belt. **

"**Baby, you're tired."**

"**I can't go back to sleep after that. Sorry I woke you up." He leaned over, kissing her cheek before picking up his phone and leaving the bedroom. **

**Flopping back onto the bed, CJ stared at the ceiling. The last time Matt had one of his nightmares was when he had seen the kidnapping of his cousin Will. Closing her eyes tightly she sent up a prayer: **_**Please God, just let it be a nightmare and nothing more. Please.**_

**Outside on the back porch, he sat down on the swing and tried once again to calm down. He pulled out his phone, and started the recorder app, quietly reciting exactly what he had seen and heard. Shutting it off he drew in another shuddering breath as a chill went across his skin and he knew that it wasn't just a normal nightmare. How he knew was as much a mystery to him as to anyone else, but for the last few years he had come to learn that feeling - something that he dreaded but at the same time an insatiable curiosity tugged at him, pushing him onward toward finding out just what the dreams meant. He had tried to explain it to CJ one time and the best he could come up with was that it was like seeing a train wreck coming, knowing what was about to happen, and yet not being able to look away no matter how hard he tried. Checking the time again he thought to himself. **_**Screw it. He calls me at all hours.**_ **He punched Michael Hoyt's name on his contact list and the call was answered after just one ring. "Is Kathy okay?"**

**In Los Angeles, the police lieutenant was standing over the body of a young woman who had most likely been an absolute beauty in life but now in death was grotesquely deformed by the blood that had been smeared on her face from the wounds in her torso. It was around her eyes and mouth like a clown mask. She was the second one in the last week and he had just thought of calling Houston in a few hours to run it by him - even though the chief had forbidden any contact with the private investigator. He had jumped on what the majority of the cops that Hoyt knew called "The Crazy Train": people who thought that Matt was crazy because reporter Tamara Placer kept spewing stories claiming that he was mentally unstable and unhinged and that the HCSO shrink and Matt's own psychiatrist had been paid off to clear him back to duty.**

"**Yeah, she's fine." He looked around, making sure that he couldn't be overheard by anyone that might report the conversation. "You saw it, didn't you? That's why you asked about Kathy?" He shuddered as he remembered the pedophile who had kidnapped his daughter several years ago.**

"**A clown."**

"**Yeah." Michael eased away from where tech Bob Wisnewski was going about methodically working the scene.**

"**Damn. Has he got green hair?" **

**Hoyt sent a picture of the girl's face to his phone. "Check your email."**

**There was a pause and he could hear the sound of crickets chirping in the predawn of Texas as the phone was put on speaker. "God." The P.I. let out a muffled curse. **

"**She's the second one since last Wednesday. What can you tell me?" The veteran cop went to his car and had a seat, rolling up the window so that no one could hear. Only a few short years ago he would have said it was complete and total crap for anyone to see what the Texan could. But after being with him on a few occasions when the visions had come to him he was a true believer. At least as far as Houston was concerned. Listening quietly he wondered how scary it must be to be in possession of such a...gift didn't really seem like the right word. The two men considered the information wordlessly. **

**Matt broke the silence. "Do y'all have any video or witnesses?"**

"**On the first one, no. This one I don't know yet. Valdez is checking that angle. I'm still at the scene." He started to speak and then after a pause began again. "Whitaker is still on the rampage."**

"**You want me to come?"**

"**Can you?"**

"**Be there ASAP." **

"**Call me when you land."**

"**See you." Matt disconnected the call. He had spent the last couple of weeks working on the ranch and then helping Chuck track down Selkirk. Placer's reports were not getting the reception in Texas that they had when she first began her attacks on him in his home state. After his work to expose and bring tycoon Donovan Lynch to justice - something that had needed doing for decades - plus his raid on his Mexican drug lord cousin Diego's compound and the subsequent death of his cousin Will and his maternal grandmother, the attitudes of a lot of Texans had swung in his favor. Gang violence on both sides of the border related to Las Serpientes had decreased dramatically. But California was a whole different ball game. He went back up to the bedroom and began packing.**

**It was just after five when the G-550 gracefully touched down on the runway at LAX and taxied to the hangar. Bo Harper yawned sleepily as he leaned against the Chevy pickup that his boss had purchased to replace what had been referred to as the "Dream Truck" - a victim of one of the failed attacks by a hitman. Moving over to the old Ford he spoke. "Wake up, Lamar." He gave the older cowboy a shake. **

"**Uh huh." Pettybone yawned widely. "Don't know how in the hell he keeps such crazy hours."**

"**He's a hell of a lot younger than you, that's how."**

"**Like you're a spring chicken?" There was a derisive sound from him as he watched the steps lowering from the side of the plane and his boss hustle down and make his way over.**

"**Y'all didn't have to wait here. Should've gone back to bed." He patted Bo on the shoulder. "Sorry for the bad hour."**

"**No problem. Just stuck around to make sure you were okay. You sounded upset."**

"**Well, y'all just take it easy today, ya hear? Catch up on your rest. I appreciate it."**

**He tossed his bag into the truck and slid behind the wheel, punching the cop's number again. "I'm here."**

"**Let's meet at the Waffle Hut on El Segundo."**

"**Kinda out of your way isn't it?" He started the engine and dropped it in gear.**

"**Better than being spotted." He heard the chuckle on the other end.**

"**See you there. I'll be the one in the straight jacket." Disconnecting the call the P. I. was no longer laughing. Whitaker had taken away his consultant status and civilian ID on his last visit. Rumor had it that he was lobbying for the removal of his license as a private investigator. Placer had tried to raise a stink with the FAA to have his pilot's license suspended but after it was proven that he had not taken any medication during his treatment for depression she had absolutely no grounds. Matt was glad that he had refused the meds that psychiatrist Roger Mullins had suggested during that time. "Crap." He was supposed to have a session with the man that afternoon. After arriving at the restaurant he sent the doctor a text telling him where he was and why he wouldn't be able to meet with him. They were now down to meeting once a month with the understanding that Matt was to call him immediately if the need arose. **

**Hoyt arrived a few minutes later and slid into the booth at the back of the restaurant, his face a mask of fatigue. **

"**Bud, when was the last time you got some sleep?" Matt saw the bags under his friend's eyes and was shocked.**

"**Unh." The reply was grunted as he took a sip of the coffee that Matt had already ordered for him, thankful that he had downed three antacid tablets on the way over. He shook his head. "Lee will be back today. Maybe tonight will be better." The young detective had taken a couple of weeks off after his wife had given birth to their son with a little help from Matt. **

"**Oh boy, it's gonna be picture time again." The P.I. smiled thinking about the special delivery in the elevator of the police precinct.**

**After the waitress appeared and orders were placed the pair sipped their coffee quietly. "So you said Kathy's okay. How about Anne?"**

"**She's alright." Something in his tone told his friend otherwise.**

"**But?"**

**There was a shrug. "She's tired of my long hours."**

**The P.I. nodded. **

"**And CJ?" He saw as a little smile crept across the younger man's face. **

"**I'm hoping for some good news soon, but please don't say anything to anybody."**

"**As in baby news?" Hoyt was slightly surprised.**

"**Yeah." The expression went back to seriousness. "We uh…" He paused. "We lost one when the arena collapsed."**

"**I'm sorry." There was a nod. **

"**So this is probably the last go around." He looked back across at the tired face. "If I hadn't been such a dumbass all those years…"**

"**Well, the world can only deal with so many Houstons running around." Both chuckled. "And how about the rest of your herd?"**

**The phone appeared out of his pocket in a flash and pictures of Catey Rose, Vinnie, and Mike were shown. He also told how Brian was being watched by college football scouts and Tomás was now getting heavily into video game design.**

"**They sure are getting big quick."**

"**And smart. Catey can read now."**

"**She's going to be smart like her mom." **

"**Lord knows she already argues like a lawyer." Both cracked up as their meals arrived. As the pair dug in the cop asked how things were going with the Texas ranch and was surprised to hear that his friend had been given first shot at a neighboring property by the owner who was getting on in years and had no one to leave it to. He was unwilling to sell to a developer and knew that Houston would keep it running as farmland and had gone to offer it to him first. "But you know if I buy it **_**somebody**_ **will say that I am trying to take over the whole state."**

"**So what are you going to do with it? I know you'll take it." The cop laughed easily, realizing as he did that it was the first time since the P.I. had gone back to his home state a couple of weeks earlier that it had happened.**

"**Well, it's good land. I think for the next few years it will be great for hay and corn. Then…" He shrugged as he swallowed coffee. "Maybe more cows?"**

"**If he doesn't have an heir what will he do with the money?"**

"**He's got a long list of charities."**

"**Guess there are still some good guys left in the world."**

**As they finished up the cop looked troubled. "We're going to go over the file in Brad Langston's office. I'm going to do everything I can to keep my people from…" He wasn't sure how to phrase it.**

"**Plausible deniability."**

"**Yeah. The SWAT offices are being renovated so nobody else will be there. That little earthquake brought some other damage to light and he's been campaigning for some upgrades for a couple of years. But I'm worried about your truck being spotted." He looked out into the parking lot and before his eyes the color on the Chevy changed throwing him into a fit of chuckles. "Should have known you would get the color change paint."**

"**It's been a good investment on the van so I figured why not?" Matt tossed down some bills on the table. "Let's see what we can figure out."**


	3. Chapter 3

**03**

**Matt had changed the color of the Chevy crew cab to a non-attention grabbing blue and parked on the street a couple of blocks away from the station, climbing into the backseat of Michael's car after tugging a ball cap down on his head. The detective tossed him cuffs and he sat slouched in the back seat trying to look shorter. The officer stationed at the entrance to the garage gave Michael a smile and wink and waved them on inside, chuckling to himself.**

**Hoyt removed the "prisoner" from the back of his car and shoved him roughly into the elevator in the garage. He punched the button for the second floor as Matt kept his head down where the camera couldn't get a good shot of him. Once the doors opened and they stepped out, the cop took the cuffs off and they hustled into Langston's office. The SWAT leader was waiting for them with the files and shook the P.I.'s hand warmly. "Good to see you again."**

"**Better not say that too loud." Houston gave a smirk. **

**The three men sat down and Matt removed the tiny camera that he and his business partner Derwin Dunlap had invented for part of their BugBytes gear. He snapped pictures of each page in the first file, replaced the device in his pocket, and then began reading what was in front of him. The photos of the first victim, Leslie Renee Sullivan, were eerily similar to what Michael had sent him a few hours earlier. She was twenty four years old, blonde haired, blue eyed, five feet six inches tall with a slim athletic build and worked at a local department store. A copy of her DMV photo was attached and showed an absolutely gorgeous girl with a warm smile. Her face had been smeared with what had been confirmed was her own blood, presumably from the deep stab wounds in her torso. There was no sign of sexual assault and exsanguination was the cause of death. He looked at the photos from the scene. "It was a body dump." Glancing up at the two cops he was answered with nods.**

**Langston leaned forward and handed over the second file and looked at Hoyt. "Jackson was wondering why I wanted a copy of this file. You might want to have a word with him."**

"**I'm planning to - in case I need something else sent." Michael removed the pack of antacids from his coat pocket and dropped two into his mouth. He saw the look Matt gave him. "Shut up, P.I. I've been too busy for yogurt this morning."**

"**Didn't say a word." Matt turned his attention back to the latest file and took pictures of the contents and had started over it when they heard the elevator chime. All three instantly jumped to their feet, Michael popping the cuffs on him again as Langston stuffed the files into his desk before looking outside. **

"**Damn. Contractor is getting an early start. You got what you need?" **

**Houston nodded, tugged the cap down on his head and shuffled out of the office while Hoyt grabbed his arm and guided him back to the elevator. Once back in the garage he was stuffed into the lieutenant's car again and taken back out of the garage. **

**Hoyt reached back to give the handcuff key over the seat and received the surprise of his handcuffs instead. "How - never mind." He couldn't help but laugh. "Forgot you have a set of your own." **

"**Here." Matt handed up a new phone. "Use that to call me."**

"**Okay." The cop tucked it into his coat pocket. **

"**I'll be at the office. Oh, and you've got a new key on your ring. It goes to the elevator. You can get past the lockout option now."**

"**How in the hell did you do that?! When did you get my keys?!" His wide-eyed expression was answered with a chuckle from the back seat. He pulled up next to the truck and the P.I. quickly slid out of the car into what was now a white truck and pulled away from the curb a minute after the cop was out of sight. He turned at the next intersection and went toward the offices of Houston Investigations. **

**It was early yet and there weren't too many people stirring in the garage of the building. He quickly hit the elevator and went up to the penthouse suite, using the lockout option. After punching in the security code for the office doors, he closed and locked them behind himself and proceeded to the bar to make a pot of coffee. Once it started to brew he pulled out his phone and called CJ's cell. "How ya doin', Lil Mama?"**

"**Okay. Just a little nauseous." She smiled.**

"**Ah hah." He couldn't contain the sound of joy in his voice. **

"**I'm still going to wait a couple of days to take the test. But I'm pretty sure." She was excited as well.**

"**Love you, Babe."**

"**Love you. Did you meet up with Hoyt?"**

"**Yep, already been arrested and released this morning. Plus freaked him out by lifting his keys and replacing them without him knowing." There was a mischievous chuckle that got her to laughing. "I gave him a key to the elevator to speed things up."**

"**Good. Do you need any help?"**

"**Well…" He poured a cup of coffee and went over the back of the couch to pull up BABY. The computer rolled up from its hidden location under the coffee table after he punched the button. "I'm about to make a copy of what I got from him this morning and put BABY to work." The humor was gone from his voice. "At the moment I think I'm good. Of course that could change."**

"**All you have to do is call - you know that."**

"**I appreciate it. Give the kids a kiss for me."**

"**I will. And hon - please be extra, extra careful okay?"**

"**Promise."**

"**Love you."  
**"**You, too." He listened as she disconnected the call, a jolt of joy going through him as he thought about the possible pregnancy. Both knew that this was going to be the last time and once again he cursed himself for not confessing his love for her years earlier. But then again like Hoyt had said, the world could only take so many Houstons running around.**

**Turning his attention back to the problem at hand, he downloaded the files onto the computer and made a backup which he immediately put into the safe in CJ's office before returning to the couch and starting through the second file. He leaned back and sipped coffee as the information came up on the latest update to the computer: a supersized monitor. Derwin had done the work on the system himself and Matt was glad for it. The details of the photos were much sharper and it was then that he noticed a difference between the first and second victims: the clown face of blood was applied differently. The eyes of the first victim were done as long narrow triangles. He found the photos of the second girl and dropped the close-up of her face next to the first. The triangles were larger. The details around the mouth of the second were also larger. He paused and took another sip. **_**He's putting more into it - maybe enjoying it more? **_

**Candace Eugenia Pressley had been twenty two, blonde hair and blue eyes, five feet five inches tall, and with a build much like the first victim. **_**So it looks like he has a preference.**_ **She worked at a national hardware store. At the moment that was all they had on her. He put up the rest of the photos from the scene. Like Sullivan, she had been stabbed multiple times. With the clothing in tatters around the wounds it was hard to say how many times. Looking back at the ME's report on Sullivan he saw that she had been stabbed a total of seven times. **

**Next he hit Goggle Maps and looked up the Sullivan scene on Cypress and the Pressley scene on Fishburn: they were about three miles apart. **_**So maybe he's from the area?**_

**His next step was to look into the past of both women. Leslie Sullivan worked the makeup counter at a chain department store on Hollywood. Consulting the map again he found that it was about five miles from where she worked to where she was found and her home on Glenalbyn was not even a mile from the scene. So all within six miles give or take. **

**Switching to Pressley, he plotted the distance once again. From home to work was about half a mile and her home was less than three miles from where she was found at a recycling center. **

**He got up, refilled the coffee cup and went out on the patio. Leaning against the wall he looked out over the city as he thought over the logistics of the case. It would seem that their killer most likely had a vehicle but he wasn't covering a lot of ground. Downing more of the coffee he went back inside and sat back down in front of the computer to dig further into the lives of the two victims. **

**Leslie Sullivan was born and raised in LA. She had apparently been an aspiring actress and he found announcements where she had appeared in different plays around town but didn't see that she had made it into movies or TV parts. As far as family, her mother Glenda lived in the Silver Lake area, her father had been killed in an auto accident three years before, and she had a younger brother in the Navy. He made note of the mother's address. There was no indication that Leslie had a boyfriend or husband. **

**Changing gears he went to learn more about Candace Pressley. She was originally from Caribou, Maine. He had to pull up a map and learned that it was a small town near the border with New Brunswick. A check into her family showed that she had absolutely no one left. She had been raised by her paternal grandmother who had passed away just shortly after her eighteenth birthday. **_**Talk about a change of scenery.**_ **He looked into her work history and saw that she had floated around from job to job as she had made her way to LA. The job with the hardware chain evidently suited her. She had been there for two years. There was no mention anywhere of a boyfriend or husband. **

**Leaning back on the couch he thought about how best to approach the case. He and Michael were trying to keep his presence in the city as low profile as possible in order to keep Whitaker and Placer from causing him problems. But if he was going to investigate he needed to be able to at least go talk to Sullivan's mother and he wanted to get a look at the crime scenes. Pictures didn't always do it justice. And he wanted to stop this guy before he got to anyone else.**


	4. Chapter 4

**04**

"**Ladies and gentlemen - Chief Whitaker." Public Information Officer Manuel Hermosa gladly stepped off the podium and went to the doorway. The chief had thrown the press briefing together against his advice - once again. He had overheard several phone calls in the last few weeks and knew exactly why the man was grandstanding more than usual: he was planning a **

**run for state senator. He had spent his time as chief concentrating not so much on what was good for the citizens but what was good for his image. The men and women of the department were tired of his antics and his habit of throwing anyone under the bus that could possibly shine a bad light on him. Little did the man know just what his officers had planned. The thought of it brought a smile to his face as he looked over the crowd and blocked out what his boss was saying.**

"**We're so thankful to have Miss Victoria Albescu with us today. As I'm sure you all know she's the host of the hit show "Psychic Illuminations" and she has graciously offered to help us with the heart wrenching cases that have tragically ended the lives of two beautiful young ladies in our city in the last week. Although we can't tell you what she has seen so far, we can tell you that our detectives are using her talents to help track down the vicious killer." **

**CJ clicked off the TV in the study of the Texas ranch. "What a load of crap. That woman couldn't have a vision with the Hubble telescope."**

"**Language." Madre Rosa had overheard the remark and couldn't help but giggle when the younger woman sheepishly looked over at her. **

"**Sorry. Matt's a bad influence."**

"**So is that why he went back to LA?" The housekeeper sat down on the love seat.**

"**Yes." CJ was now staring somberly out the front window. "He had a dream last night."**

"**I thought the police chief banned him from any investigations?"**

"**Uh huh."**

"**He's with Michael?" The answer was a nod. "They are taking a chance."**

"**They are - but they want to catch the killer."**

**Hoyt had stood by as Whitaker made his announcement, knowing full well that he hadn't even met Albescu much less talked to her about the cases. The man was all out lying now and the veteran cop wondered what would be next? But then he thought about who the chief was keeping company with these days and it fit perfectly. Then another question occurred to him: what was Placer after? And just how long would she string the chief along before she decided to turn on him?**

**Half an hour later the meeting with Albescu, himself, Jennings, and Giovanni was not a comfortable one. All three of the cops thought she was a fraud and with Hoyt having inside information into what Matt had actually told him about the clown he had seen it was all he could do to keep from throwing her out of his office.**

**Victoria Albescu was thirty seven trying to look more like seventeen and not coming anywhere close to pulling it off. The jet black dyed hair, gobs of makeup, and dangling gold jewelry were as much a part of her act as was the accent that seemed to come and go, appearing whenever it would have the most dramatic effect. "I need something that belonged to the victims. A piece of jewelry is always good."**

"**I'll check to see if they had any when they were brought in." Gabby hurriedly left the office, jumping on the first possible excuse to get away from her. What she really wanted to do was scratch the woman's eyes out. As she went back out to her desk one of the camera operators followed her and she did her best to keep her voice just above a whisper as she called the morgue. As it turned out both women had been wearing rings when they were brought in and she had to shove her way past the cameraman to get back to the lieutenant's office to inform him. **

"**Giovanni, why don't you take Ms. Albescu to the morgue and let her do…" He paused. "Just take her to the morgue." He caught the expression of disgust from the young detective. "Jennings you go with them. I've got to deal with another case right now." **

**Lee cut his eyes at his boss knowing full well that he wasn't involved with any other cases at the moment and just caught the very slight nod that the man gave him. "Yes, sir." He opened the door for the group and they exited and headed for the elevator. **

**Sitting down behind the desk, Hoyt reached for the bottle of antacid and after a quick shake, turned it up. After replacing it in the drawer of his desk he removed the phone that Houston had given him earlier and dialed the P.I.'s number.**

"**What's up, Michael?" Matt had just refilled his coffee cup.**

"**I've got Gabby and Lee taking Albescu to the morgue." **

"**Sounds like a good place for her." The reply had been instantaneous and Hoyt snickered.**

"**Have you talked to Leslie Sullivan's mother yet?"**

"**No. Lee did the other day but didn't get much out of her. She was drunk."**

"**Do you think she was so drunk that she wouldn't remember?"**

"**Don't know."**

"**Well…" Matt took a sip of the brew and considered his options. "When is the funeral supposed to be?"**

"**This afternoon at two."**

"**Guess I need to pull a suit out of the closet then."**

"**Do you think that's a good idea? What if you get seen?"**

"**Whitaker can't keep me from paying my respects at a funeral, Hoyt. It's still a free country."**

"**True. I'll try to get there, too."**

"**Is the Pressley scene still taped off?"**

"**No."**

"**Okay. So there's nothing to keep me from going by there or the Sullivan scene either. Guess that's what I'll do next. Holler at you later." He ended the call and went back to put BABY away and then rinsed out the cup and turned off the coffee pot . **

**Houston parked the truck at the curb on Thorpe and slid from the cab. The area was mostly businesses and Leslie Sullivan's body had been found in an alleyway that ran between Thorpe and Merced. He casually walked to the alleyway and began making his way down to the back of the second business, an auto repair shop. There were a couple of garbage cans in the alley and he paused to slip on a pair of nitrile gloves before opening up the first one that he came to, not expecting to find anything. Sullivan had been found over a week earlier and most likely the trash had been picked up, but he wanted to be thorough. An overpowering odor of rotting shrimp and something else that he couldn't identify hit him in the face and he cursed under his breath. There wasn't much else in the can other than what was left of someone's seafood feast. **

**Thinking back to the pictures of the scene he approached the block wall where the body had been dumped. There was still a little bit of a brown stain there and he thought once again about the fact that she hadn't been killed there. Somewhere out there was another scene that might yield some more clues for them. He crouched down and examined the area, not seeing anything useful. Standing, he looked around and then went on down the alleyway, examining the other garbage cans and looking for any other evidence. Stopping at Merced, he turned and went back toward Thorpe and didn't see anything useful at all. **

**Next was the area on Fishburn Street where Pressley had been found. The recycling center was doing a booming business and the area had several tractor trailers waiting to load and unload. He found a parking place further down toward the intersection with Medford Street and walked back toward where the young woman's body had been found the night before. A little bit of yellow crime scene tape was still tied to the chain link fence and he looked around. Michael had told him that Bob Wisnewski had worked the scene. Once again he found nothing and walked up to the intersection with Fowler Street and turned back toward the truck. If any of the people going to the recycling center knew that a body had been found there a few hours earlier they didn't show any signs. While he was sure that not everyone there had heard or seen the news it still saddened him to think of the young life ended with hardly a blip on the radar of most. As he got near the truck he noticed a young man who had been watching him from a sandwich stand set up a little further up near a construction site. **_**What the hell? Couldn't hurt.**_ **A sign printed in Spanish advertised sandwiches and cold drinks. He pulled money from his pocket and reached into a cooler for a Fizzy Pop. **

"**You are looking for something?" The young man's accent was strong.**

**Nodding, Matt motioned over his shoulder toward the scene. "Did you hear about the girl they found down there last night?"**

"**Yes." He looked nervous and Matt's radar began to go off.**

"**Did you happen to see anything?" **

**The vendor looked around nervously. "I saw a truck pull up behind the recycling center. It was only there for a minute or two and then it left quickly. But I didn't see anyone get out of it."**

"**What time was it?" **

"**About 11:00."**

**The P.I. nodded, searching his face. "Are you usually around here that time of night?" He eyed the old Suburban where the cooler was set up.**

"**I got kicked out of my apartment last week."**

"**So you were sleeping in your truck?"**

**The answer was a nod. **

"**What kind of truck did you see?"**

"**It was like a rental truck. A box truck. White with a picture on the side. I couldn't tell what it was."**

"**Did you talk to the cops?"**

**The young man shook his head no. "I didn't know anything bad had happened until there was a bunch of sirens. I hid under a tarp in the back until everyone was gone. Figured they would think that I had something to do with it."**

"**What's your name?" He pulled out his notebook.**

"**Miguel Barrera."**

"**Do you have a phone?"**

"**Yes." He rattled off the number. **

"**A friend of mine will call and want to talk to you. He's a cop but he's okay." Pulling out his wallet he handed the man three hundred dollars and one of his cards. "Get yourself a room tonight and I wouldn't advise camping out here anymore, okay?"**

"**I can't take this." He tried to hand it back.**

"**Just tell my friend everything you told me and we're even, okay?"**

" **Thanks."**


	5. Chapter 5

**05**

**Matt pulled into the parking lot of the funeral home on Silver Lake Boulevard that afternoon and backed into a space at the back of the lot. There were quite a few cars there and he watched as people met in the lot, talked, and then drifted inside. He waited until just a couple of minutes before the service was scheduled to start and slipped into a pew at the back of the chapel. In a minute he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see Hoyt. He slid over and made room for him. **

"**I talked to Barrera on my way over here. I agree with you; he's got no record whatsoever. Seems like he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."**

**As the service began there was a commotion at the doorway of the chapel and Victoria Albescu along with her camera crew entered. A look of shock came across the face of the minister. Heads turned and the so-called psychic made a grand entrance, marching up to the victim's mother who looked at her as if she was from Mars.**

"**Get that camera out of here! Now!" Glenda Sullivan sprang to her feet as did other mourners and the noise level in the room began to rise. Two employees of the funeral home came forward and began ushering the interlopers out. Matt had taken the opportunity of the confrontation to slide toward the opposite end of the pew and was hoping that neither he nor Hoyt would be spotted but the fraud stopped momentarily and looked pointedly at first the cop and then Houston, a wicked smile going across her face. After she was escorted out, the service resumed and the two men exchanged a worried look.**

**Keeping their distance from each other, Matt and Michael both attended the graveside service and noticed that Albescu and her crew had been barred from the grounds of the cemetery. During the service both men observed the others in attendance, looking for anyone who could possibly be involved with the murders. They went their separate ways and once in his truck, Matt dialed the phone that he had given the lieutenant that morning. "I'm going to try to make contact with Glenda Sullivan later on today and offer my services. If she accepts there's nothing Whitaker can do about me working the case."**

"**Nothing he can do to you. I've got a feeling that my butt is about to be in a sling when I get back to the office."**

"**I'm sorry." The P.I. heard the sound of his friend's other phone ringing.**

"**Damn it. It's the captain. I'll call you later." **

**Hoyt was ushered into Chief Whitaker's office along with Captain Messick. The door had barely closed when Whitaker stood and began bellowing at the lieutenant. "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing calling Houston in on this case? I specifically forbid his involvement with my department."**

"**I didn't call him in." And in reality, he hadn't: Houston had volunteered.**

"**Then why were you sitting together at Leslie Sullivan's funeral?" Looking triumphant he stalked around his desk.**

"**I got to the service just as it was beginning and slid into a pew at the back. I didn't realize at the time that he was there."**

**A sarcastic laugh came from the man. "Sure you didn't. Well, I'd say you're due for a vacation, Hoyt. As in a suspension - the length of which has yet to be determined. Hand over your shield and your service weapon to Captain Messick."**

**Angrily, Michael did as he was told. The captain, who was fairly new to Michael's division, felt bad for the man. All he had seen from the senior detective was dedication and hard work. His back was against the wall and he tucked the badge into his pocket regretfully. **

"**And as for you, Messick - I expected better of you."  
**"**Sir, I had no way of knowing-"**

"**You're supposed to know everything that goes on under your command. Consider yourself put on notice. Dismissed."**

**The two men left, neither speaking until they were alone in the elevator. "Hoyt, I don't know if you planned that…"**

"**I didn't ask for his help."**

"**Just...take the time off. You look like you could use the rest. I'll have Jennings take over for you while you're out." His answer was a nod.**

**Michael pulled his tie off as he got into his car and punched Houston's number on the new phone. "Well, I'm suspended until further notice."**

"**Crap. I'm sorry."**

"**Don't be. I knew you were going and I shouldn't have showed up at the funeral. Guess I should have known Albescu would make a scene. That seems to be most of what she does." He pulled out of the garage. "So what's next?"**

"**Maybe you just better go home, bud. You could use some rest anyway."**

"**I'm too wound up to rest. Are you at the office?"**

"**Yeah." Matt had just changed out of the suit and was back in blue jeans and a plaid button down collar shirt. "I'm trying to figure out the clown angle. See if there are any carnivals or such nearby."**

"**I'm on the way over there."**

"**You sure that's a smart move?" He pulled a cold drink from the fridge behind the bar and started over the back of the couch.**

"**No. Just seems like the right thing to do."**

"**Have you talked to Anne?" Matt punched the button to bring up BABY.**

"**I'm about to do that."**

"**Good luck."**

"**See you in a few minutes." The cop disconnected the call and then dialed his home number and broke the news to his wife. **

**Matt began the search for any venues that might have clowns, starting with any carnivals that might be in town. Surprisingly there were only two at the moment and further research showed that neither employed clowns. He checked into nearby theme parks and found that two of them had clowns on staff. One of them brought back some unsettling memories. It was the park that had formerly been owned by Emil Castanos - the very one where he had held CJ captive right before the two men had their showdown. His mind drifted back and he remembered the struggle over the shotgun, the feeling of disbelief that the madman survived being shot, and then the relief when CJ informed him a couple of days later that the serial killer had attempted to escape from the hospital. A fall from thirteen stories up had finally finished the maniac off. **

**The elevator dinged, bringing him out of his reverie. Looking over the back of the couch he watched as Michael stepped up into the office and headed straight for the bar. Getting off of the couch he went over and had a seat on one of the stools and watched silently as the cop reached first for a bottle of whiskey on the shelf and paused before turning back to the refrigerator and removing a bottle of water instead before sitting down on another of the stools. The pair sat in silence for a full minute.**

"**Well, I talked to Anne…" Michael took a long swallow of the water before turning his gaze to the P.I. "She told me tell you hello. Seems like she knew that I would be coming here." A smile went across his face. "I also heard her use a few words that I've never heard from her before. Luckily they were directed at Whitaker and not me." He actually laughed at the look of relief that spread across Matt's face. **

"**There's some welcome news." Motioning toward the computer he spoke again. "Seems that there are only two parks around that have clowns these days."**

"**Oh?" He followed the P.I. back over to the couch and had a seat and watched as he began working the keyboard.**

"**I'm going to run a check on every man that they have working as a clown." He began going into the system of the first park and after sifting through the employment records and eliminating the three females on the list went into the records of the second.**

**Hoyt watched and knew that something was bothering the man. "What's wrong?"**

"**Bad memories." Matt nodded at the screen. "That's where Castanos and I had it out."**

"**Crap." He watched the man, thinking about how much trouble he had seen over the years.**

"**And now we let BABY work on the list." Punching a couple of buttons he waited as the computer began running through the list. Leaning back he looked over at the cop. "You seem pretty relaxed considering what's happened today."**

"**Truthfully? It's kind of a relief." **

"**So are you going to quit?"**

"**I don't know."**

"**Piece of advice?" Matt watched as Michael took another drink and nodded. "Wait. As stupid as Whitaker is and as inept as Albescu is I can just about guarantee you that this is going to blow up in his face."**

"**Uh huh." He continued to watch as the super computer sifted through the information and thought to himself. **_**More is going to blow up in his face than you know.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**06**

**At union headquarters, Sergeant Larry Carlisle exited the room at the end of the hallway and greeted three other officers that he knew as he went back outside. Getting behind the wheel of his car he blew out a breath. If the people that he knew and the willingness of the union to take up the cause that he had suggested were any indication, the vote was going to be a huge success. It was the first time that he had ever gone to his union representative and asked for help. He had talked it over with his wife Shirley: if the vote didn't go through he was going to submit his retirement papers effective immediately. Over the last few years he had thought about it more and more but he was absolutely adamant this time. If it didn't pass he was gone.**

**Michael watched as Matt swiftly began running background checks of the men on his list. There were a total of six now. He had eliminated one because he was in his sixties. The face that he had seen in his dream was nowhere near that old. His best guess was that the person that they were after was between his twenties and forties. Next he eliminated a man who was African American. "So we're down to five." Blowing out a breath he waited as BABY brought up information on one of the men.**

"**Not to be a party pooper, but think back to when Kathy was kidnapped: that guy worked parties." **

"**Yeah. I just figured that this was a place to start." Matt punched a couple more keys and the pair began to read the information that came up on the screen. Half an hour later they looked glumly at each other. There was absolutely no indication that any of the men had committed the murders. Out of the six only one had a criminal record and it was for illegal gambling over twenty years earlier. **

**The P.I. got up and rubbed the back of his neck. He had a headache trying to creep up on him and he began walking around the office. "If I could get a look at these guys with their makeup on…" Thinking back to what he had seen he went to CJ's office for some colored pencils and pad of paper, returning to the couch to begin sketching what he remembered of the clown's makeup. All he could really remember was some green hair and the eyes: red eyes with skinny black triangles both above and below. Closing his eyes he tilted his head back on the couch trying to make the memory come back to mind. He cursed.**

"**Albescu asked for something that belonged to the victim - a piece of jewelry." He saw the annoyed look from the P.I. "Yeah, I know she's a scammer but think about how many times you've heard of a psychic doing that. Maybe you could..."**

"**I don't claim to be a psychic, Michael."**

"**What else would you call it?"**

"**Hell, I don't know." He mulled it over.**

"**But have you ever tried it? I mean it **_**might**_ **work. If it doesn't, it doesn't. But it could…"**

"**It just happens." Matt shrugged. **

"**It couldn't hurt to try." Hoyt pulled out the phone that Matt had given him and called Lee putting it on speaker. As soon as the young man answered the lieutenant spoke. "Don't say my name. Are you alone?"**

"**Yeah. I'm in the can." Jennings was surprised to hear a snicker on the other end of the line. "Captain Messick called me and said you were suspended. You were going to meet Houston - that's why you told us to take the nutjob to the morgue, right?"**

"**Yeah. Look, do you know if Pressley's personal effects are still at the morgue or have they been sent to the lab?"**

"**They are at the lab. So are the rest of Sullivan's. Hang on a minute." There was silence on the other end of the line. In a minute the cop came back on. "Okay, we're clear. Where are you calling from anyway?"**

"**A phone Houston gave me. I'm at his office right now. Did you ever try to talk to Glenda Sullivan again?" **

"**I was going to try this afternoon but with the funeral going on…"**

**Matt finally broke his silence. "Bud, I'm going to try to talk to her this evening to see if she'll hire me. If she does Whitaker is screwed."**

**It was Lee's turn to laugh now. "I think he may be about to get screwed anyway." He heard as Michael joined in. Matt shot Hoyt a questioning look. **

"**I'll call you later and let you know if she agrees to let Houston take the case. Just don't let anybody else know that we talked. Even Giovanni. I don't want her to get in trouble."**

"**Alright. And LT - I'm sorry."**

"**Talk to you later." Michael disconnected the call.**

"**What the hell did he mean?" Matt looked at his watch. It was almost six o'clock. His stomach rumbled.**

"**You'll find out soon enough." There was another laugh from the cop. "Let's get some dinner and then try Glenda Sullivan. We might be able to get something from her that belonged to her daughter."**

"**We don't even know that it will work."**

"**And we don't know that it won't work. How about a pizza?" Hoyt gave the man another big smile. **

**About eight o'clock, Matt pulled up in front of the home on the corner of Angus and Kenilworth in the Silver Lake area. Two cars had just left and it appeared that Glenda Sullivan might at last be alone. They had passed the home twice in the last hour waiting for the occupants of the cars parked on the street to leave. "Here goes nothing." Matt slid out and went up the walkway leaving Hoyt in the truck. He rang the doorbell and didn't have to wait long for it to be opened. "Ms. Sullivan?"**

"**I saw you at the funeral today."**

"**Yes, ma'am."**

"**You're a private investigator. I've seen things about you on TV."**

**Matt's heart started to sink. "My name is Matt Houston. Do you think we could talk for a few minutes?"**

**She continued to scrutinize him and he felt like he was under a microscope. "Come in."**

**Stepping into the front hallway of the house he felt a huge relief as he followed her into the living room that was host to an abundance of plants and flowers, most of which he felt sure were from the funeral. **

"**Have a seat, Mr. Houston."**

"**Thank you." He sat down on the couch. "Ms. Sullivan, I wanted to offer my condolences to you - and my services."**

"**I can't afford a private investigator."**

"**No ma'am - I meant free of charge."**

"**And why would you want to do that?"**

"**That's the very reason that I opened my office here. So that I could help people." He waited as she once again considered him.**

"**Tamara Placer doesn't think highly of you."**

"**The feeling is mutual." It had come out of his mouth before he really thought about it.**

**She nodded, a smile starting to come across her face. "You don't have any ties to that Albescu woman do you?"**

"**No ma'am."**

"**And you say it won't cost me anything?"**

"**No ma'am."**

"**Okay. The police haven't been able to come up with anything so far." There was a bitter edge to her voice. "And that police chief of theirs - well, let's just say he seems more interested in publicity. From what I've seen of you, you try to avoid it."**

"**Yes ma'am." **

"**So what do you think that you can do that the cops can't?"**

"**I can't guarantee that I can. But I am willing to try. And I don't have to deal with as many rules as the police."**

**She nodded slowly. "Alright. What do we do now?" She watched as he pulled a piece of paper from his shirt pocket.**

"**First I need you to sign this. As you can see it clearly states that I will be working for you pro bono." He pointed to the area of the contract that he had filled in with the information. Handing over the document he waited as she read it through. **

"**Seems on the up and up. Got a pen?" **

**Twenty minutes later after asking Glenda Sullivan question after question about her daughter, Matt came back out to the truck and filled Michael in on the little that he had found out: no boyfriend, no enemies, no idea who would have harmed her. "But on the upside I now have a key to her apartment."**

"**You're a pretty slick operator." Hoyt laughed and then became serious once more. "The question is will we find anything there that Lee hasn't already looked at?"**

"**Won't know till we get there." **

**The pair pulled up outside the apartment and made their way inside. While not overly messy it had a comfortable lived-in look. There were no dishes piled in the sink, the bed was made and it was in relatively good condition. While Michael searched through her filing cabinet, Matt sat down with the laptop and looked through her emails and social media accounts. Nothing seemed out of place and she hadn't complained about problems with anyone. They both moved on to the bedroom and had a look. Matt picked up a hairbrush and stared at it. Michael watched him intently and the P.I. looked annoyed. "Don't do that."**

"**What?"**

"**Stare at me."**

"**You watch me on that damn camera in my office all the time."**

"**How many times do I have to tell you: there is no camera."**

"**Then how do you know what I'm doing?"**

**Shrugging the man walked around the room. "I just do."**

"**So you are psychic."**

"**I don't…" Rolling his eyes he continued to pace. "I just see things sometimes." Blowing out a breath he sat down on the bed and looked at the brush. He saw a few stray hairs caught in the bristles and touched them, noticing as he did so that it seemed to grow very warm in his hands. Then just as had happened on the night he saw Will's kidnapping there was a very bright light. He could see strips of industrial lighting going across what looked to be a warehouse while a stale odor of popcorn seemed to surround him. There was a glint of light on a knife blade and he felt an intense searing pain in his abdomen. He jumped up off of the bed and the room around him came back into focus.**

**Michael was holding his breath. He could tell that something had happened but remained quiet. **

"**There are lights and I can smell popcorn." Matt was speaking almost in a whisper. "And... there's some other smell. Not sure what. But I could…" He paused. "I felt a knife." He placed his hand on his abdomen.**

**Wordlessly, the cop patted him on the shoulder. **


	7. Chapter 7

**07**

"So how is it going?" CJ was sitting up in the king size bed and put down the book that she had been reading.

"Spooky."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I, uh…" Matt paused for a minute as he pulled out of the parking garage of the Houston building and headed toward the ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains. "Well, I got something off of the first victim's hairbrush."

"Got something off of it?" She listened as he explained what he had felt and seen while holding the brush and touching the hair. "Hon, that's just - wow. Congratulations."

"I'm not sure that's the right word. Babe, it's weird."

"I'm sure it feels that way but stop and think about it: if you can find this guy and stop him it's worth it feeling weird isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You need to get some sleep."

"I'm headed to the ranch now. So how are the kids?"

"Fine. They miss you though."

"I miss them, too."

"Buck seems to be settling in really well at the PH. Ben is impressed with how well he's doing with his training."

"Good."

"And I started looking at mares today online. I'm making a list. There will be a shopping trip in the near future."

"Ah hah!" He smiled. After so many years CJ was finally getting to make her childhood dreams come to life with the horse ranch. "Sounds like you're moving right along with it."

"But I'm not going without my ace horse trader with me."

"Ben?"

"Him, too. But I'm talking about you."

"I'm no expert, Babe."

"You're a good judge. Besides, road trips are good for the soul, remember?" She gave a laugh as they both thought back to the recent trip they had made to LA and back bringing Buck to his new home. Somewhere along the way she had gotten pregnant.

"Well, I'll get back there as soon as I can. I think when I get this case wrapped up I'm going to help Bo and Lamar move the herd here down from the hills. It is God awful dry. We need rain bad."

The pair talked on while he drove home and it occurred to him that she sensed how tired he really was and was making sure that he didn't fall asleep on the way home. Once he parked behind the house, they said goodnight and he went inside and back to their room, stripped, and crawled into the bed without even setting the alarm on his phone.

Matt awoke to the phone ringing and looked at the clock as he reached for it: 9:00. "Houston."

"Going to sleep the day away?" Michael was sitting at the bar in the Houston Investigations office sipping coffee.

"Unh." The P.I. sat up on the side of the bed. "Sorry about that. Forgot to set the alarm."

"I expect these things. You are an amateur after all."

"Bite me." He wandered into the bathroom and started the shower. "See you in a little bit. Oh, and while you're waiting pull up BABY and check into clowns who work parties like you suggested yesterday."

"Getting bossy aren't you?"

"If you get fired from LAPD I'll probably be your boss."

"That's a disturbing thought. I'll see what I can find." The cop disconnected the call and marveled at the fact that Matt had known that he was at the office.

It was just after ten when Houston exited the elevator and stepped up into the office heading straight to the bar for coffee. He was happy to find a box of donuts. "Guess old cop habits are hard to break." He took the box and some napkins with him as he stepped over the back of the couch. Placing the pastries between them he looked at the screen. "So what have you found?"

"Since you say that the suspect is a male, I've eliminated all the females that I've found listed. Right now I'm going through and ditching anyone over forty and anyone who isn't white."

Matt took a bite of pastry watching as the modified list rolled up onto the screen. There were now eleven left. "Alright. If you'll swap places with me I'll start looking into them." They exchanged places and the PI popped the last of the donut into his mouth as he began looking into the first man on the list. "Wait a minute. What about party planners?"

"Good idea." Hoyt took another donut.

LAPD Chief John Whitaker sat down heavily in his chair, swivelling around to look out over the city of Los Angeles. He had known that a large number of officers had been upset when he had stripped Houston of his consultant status and banned him from any of the department buildings and from investigations. He had told Hoyt to make sure that the P.I. was escorted out of the building after his ID was confiscated, but the press coverage of the man leaving after delivering an officer's baby in the elevator that day about two weeks ago had seemed more like a victory lap than the humiliating walk of shame that he had imagined. And now this. He turned back to the desk and looked at the papers that the police union president had just served him: a vote of no confidence. Out of the almost nine thousand officers in the department over ninety eight percent had joined forces to show their disapproval of his administration. He was shocked. The union leader had advised him that the information was being released to the media at that very moment and in less than ten minutes the phones had begun ringing off the hook. He was only a few weeks away from announcing his intentions to run for the state Senate. The timing couldn't have been worse. He swore loudly as the intercom buzzed. "What?"

One of his secretaries cautiously replied. "Sir, Miss Placer is here to see you."

"Send her in." He stood, straightening his tie. Maybe the reporter could help him out of the situation where he now found himself. After all, he had given her nearly unlimited access to the department for the last few months. He plastered a smile on his face as she entered. "Good morning." The door closed behind her and she stared angrily at him before flouncing down onto the couch.

"What the hell have you done?" She stared at him.

"Wh-what have I done?"

"How could you let this happen now?"

"Let what happen?" He watched as she rolled her eyes.

"This vote of no confidence business. I thought you had control of this department."

"Do you honestly think I could do anything about it? You were the one who suggested that I give Houston the heave ho, remember?" Walking around the desk he felt his anger rising.

"It had to have been more than just Houston that caused it. His dismissal was just the last straw. If I had known how much these people hated you…" Rolling her eyes again she shook her head disgustedly. "You do realize that your chances of getting elected now are seriously in doubt?"

"So what am I supposed to do? Reinstate him?"

"Of course not. That would make you look weak."

"Well, then what?"

"I don't know."

Now it was his turn to be angry. "Actually, if your plan to make everyone believe that he was unstable had worked we wouldn't be in this mess right now."

"My plan…" She stopped.

"Exactly. None of this was my idea."

"So now you're going to blame all of this on me?" Abruptly she stood and went to the door. "You better come up with something quick, John."

"Or what?" He waited for the answer but didn't receive it as she stomped out of the door and loudly slammed it.


	8. Chapter 8

08

Matt flipped the switch and watched as BABY rolled back under the coffee table. "Well…." He looked over to Michael. "Let's hit the streets." They had spent the morning researching and narrowing down the list of possible suspects and now had seven left to check out in person. After switching off the coffee pot the P.I. locked up the office and the pair entered the elevator. "Heard anything from Lee today?"

"Not a word."

They exited in the garage and loaded up in the Chevy crew cab that was once again blue. Matt pulled out of the garage and went north on Figueroa. Their combined research had led to what both men believed to be really good leads. One was a party planning and supply business located on Washington Boulevard and another on the corner of Westmoreland and 1st Street. Both were housed in large buildings with warehouse-like storage areas for the rental equipment. They had a list of three others that were strong possibilities but after Matt's vision the night before both were leaning heavily towards the larger ones. Both also had box trucks registered to them.

"Detective, you would do well to be a little more cooperative." Victoria Albescu slammed the door of the office closed behind her as Jennings looked through a stack of folders on Hoyt's desk.

"Ma'am, I've been as cooperative as I can. Right now I have to get some information on another case to the District Attorney's office." He opened Hoyt's top right drawer and removed a pack of antacid tablets, pocketing them as he closed it back.

"Your lack of enthusiasm for this investigation may just put you in the same position as the lieutenant."

"Excuse me." He took the needed folder and exited the office noticing as the doors of the elevator closed that Gabby was now under attack. He pulled out his phone and dialed the number that Michael had called him from the day before. It was answered quickly. "LT, have you two made any progress?"

"We're out checking on some possibles right now. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. No. I owe you a pack of antacids. I swear I'm going to kill that bitch."

"Uh oh. What happened?" The older cop put the phone on speaker as Lee explained how Albescu had not only dogged them until they left at almost midnight the night before but had called his home at 2:30 in the morning and woken up baby Noah. "I tell you if Bridge could have reached through the phone she would be dead right now. Then she threatened me in your office while ago."

Matt just couldn't help himself. "Maybe we should turn Bridget loose on her."

Hoyt snickered. "I'm surprised Gabby hasn't gone off on her."

Straightening his tie as he stepped out of the elevator, Lee spoke. "They were pestering her when I left. It could happen."

"Just try to keep your cool, Lee." Houston felt really bad for the two cops.

"Easier said than done. Please let me know if you get something."

"We will, bud." The PI heard as the harried young detective ended the call. He put the truck in park outside of Party Central on Washington Boulevard. "Here goes nothing." The pair got out of the truck and went through the front door into an office, finding a rather large woman with bright red obviously dyed hair sitting at a desk. They exchanged a look after seeing the overabundance of makeup that looked more like frosting on a badly decorated cake. Matt plastered a smile on his face and using his best Texas accent spoke to her. "Good mornin'!"

"Uh huh. What can I do for you?" She reluctantly put down the bottle of nail polish that she had been attempting to open.

"A buddy of mine told me that y'all have got a heck of a set up here. Said you're the best ones to put together a party for my boy."

"Okay."

"I'm thinkin' maybe one of those blow up bounce castle things, ya know?"

"Right. If you'll follow me…" Hoisting herself out of the squeaking desk chair she lumbered across the room to a wall full of colorful pictures of the items that were available. "We have different packages to choose from. How old is your son?"

"Gonna be six. Hard to believe, ya know? Seems like just yesterday he was born and…"

She cut him off. "This package here - the Old MacDonald's Farm - is our most popular for that age group. It includes a mobile petting zoo with six animals including a pony ride."

"Yeah, yeah that sounds real nice. What about that bounce castle thing? And maybe a merry go round?"

"Those items would be in the Fun Park package. It's a step up from the Old MacDonald's Farm and includes the pony ride, a merry go round, the bounce castle, a clown-"

"Hot dog! My boy loves clowns. Frank, I think we may have just hit the jackpot." He clapped Hoyt on the back nearly knocking him forward into the board. The cop gave a feeble smile and nodded as the PI continued. "Now would I be able to see the merry go round and the bounce castle thing? The little woman told me to be sure they were safe. Can't have her goin' on the warpath, ya know what I mean?"

"Uh, sure. Follow me." She went back toward a door and led them through into the storage area. "We have two different carousels. Availability depends on the day of your event." She took them further back into the area and Matt could smell stale popcorn. He felt his heart beat a little faster and when they went around several pallets of folding chairs there in front of them were two small merry go rounds. "This is the twelve passenger model and here's the sixteen." She unenthusiastically pointed to them.

The PI felt an oddly warm sensation. "So they light up and have music and all?"

"Yes."

"Could we see them working?"

"Sure." She went around to the back of the larger one and after a moment of jiggling a connection and turning a key, the ride slowly began turning and the music and lights came to life.

Houston felt himself drifting away, saw the face over him again and once again the flash of the knife and the pain seared in his chest and abdomen. It was then that he realized what the other smell was that he had sensed during his dream: cotton candy.

"Billy Joe, are you okay?" Hoyt had seen the man go pale and his eyes got that faraway look that he had seen on a few occasions now. "Billy Joe?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good." The PI nodded as the woman shut the ride off. "And you said that y'all have clowns with this package?"

"We do." She removed the key and turned back to them.

"So they have the makeup on and the whole nine yards?"

"Yes."

"Do we get a choice of clowns?"

"I guess so. Most people really don't care. They aren't here. I mean - you're not going to be able to meet them until the day of the event."

"Got any pictures of them?"

"Uh huh." She gave him a slightly perturbed look, pulled out her phone and found pictures. "We have two men and a woman who work for us. Here." She handed the phone over and the PI slowly looked at them, his face going even more pale when he got to the last one.

Clearing his throat he handed the phone back to her. "What is this one's name?"

"His clown name is Jinks but his real name is Leon."

"That one oughta work just fine. Can I get a card from you? The wife will want to call you and set everything up."

"You don't want to see the bounce castle?"

"Aw, I'm sure it's fine. The merry go round looks safe enough so I'm sure it is, too." He felt his knees wobble as they followed her back through the door to the front office where she handed him a card and several pamphlets showcasing their goods. "Thanks a lot, ya hear?"

After stepping outside he drew in a deep breath and hurriedly went to the truck. After getting behind the wheel he reached down for a bottle of water and quickly chugged down about half of it.

"You okay?" Michael looked at him worriedly.

"That's it. That's what I saw and heard. It was playing "Turkey in the Straw." That's the place. And that's the son of a bitch that killed her."


	9. Chapter 9

**09**

Houston and Hoyt returned to the PI's office to begin digging into the suspect that they now knew - thanks to their earlier research - was named Leon Ebner. The ride back to the Houston Industries building had been very quiet and Michael worriedly watched his friend. He was still pale and the cop noticed that his hands were slightly shaking. After entering the elevator he finally spoke. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Drawing in another deep breath Matt slowly let it out. "It's freaky."

"No doubt."

In the lobby of the office Matt punched in the code for the door and unlocked it. He immediately went behind the bar and pulled two Fizzy Pops out of the refrigerator, popping the top on his and taking a long swig, then resting his palms on the bar and leaning heavily against it.

"So what…" The cop paused. "What happened?"

Closing his eyes he thought back through it. "I saw it again. More this time. The lights, the music...popcorn and cotton candy smells…" He paused. "And the bastard's green hair. His eyes were real bloodshot. And the knife…" There was another pause and as the vision flashed through his mind once again he saw the glint of the steel and then felt the blade tearing into his body time after time after time, the pain searing and causing his throat to constrict. He felt as her life began to ebb then felt himself beginning to drift away.

Hoyt took him by the arm and guided him around the bar to have a seat on one of the stools. The fact that Matt didn't argue with him was a sure sign that he was in bad shape. First he grabbed a towel and doused it with cold water and placed it on the back of his friend's neck then reached up on the shelf behind the bar and poured a shot of Jack and placed it in front of him. "Drink it."

Matt's eyes opened and he took the whiskey, drinking about half of it. He closed his eyes again, leaning forward and raising his right hand to hold the cold towel on his neck. After a couple of minutes he drank the rest of the whiskey, tossed the towel on the counter top by the sink, and slid off the stool. Hoyt followed him over the back of the couch and watched as BABY rolled up from under the coffee table. The monitor flashed to life across the room and the PI began the search for more information on Ebner.

Leon Joseph Ebner was twenty five years old, had been born in Milwaukee, and joined the Army straight out of high school. He was honorably discharged four years later in North Carolina. The PI leaned back and began reading. "About four months after he left the Army Ebner was back home in Milwaukee and started working as a roustabout for a carnival. Guess that's when he got into the clown deal. The carnival went out of business two years ago."

Hoyt picked up the story. "Then about six months later he shows up in LA and goes to work for Party Central." He watched as Matt pulled up another tab and began typing.

"I'm going to check N-DEx." Because of his affiliation with the Harris County Sheriff's Office he was able to log into the system that was run by the FBI. "And here we go…" He waited as the results began to pop up on the screen. The pair exchanged a look. "Five." One by one they read through the cases, most of which had happened in small towns. The carnival had worked a series of state fairs through Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Three of the murders had occurred in Ebner's home state with one each in Iowa and Minnesota. After putting a photo of each of the crimes up on the monitor, he added the two from LA. Walking over to the screen he pointed at them. "He uses two different designs. See the difference between Sullivan and Pressley? Now look at the girl from Iowa. Her face is painted like Sullivan. The one in Minnesota is like Pressley. And two of them in Wisconsin are like her, too."

"Maybe there are two killers?" Michael leaned back on the couch.

"Don't know." The PI came back to the couch. "We can try finding personnel records for the carnival and see if any of them are here in California in addition to Ebner." He sat back down in front of the keyboard and started on the task as the cop went back behind the bar to make coffee.

While he waited for the brewing process to complete he looked over at Matt. Ever since Whitaker had put him on suspension he had been wondering how they could get the killer arrested without clueing anyone in to the fact that Houston was having visions. As someone who had been more than a little skeptical of such things just a few short years ago, Michael knew that it would be a big stretch for a lot of people to believe. Plus with the man's recent revocation of his consultant status some might think that he was seeking attention because of the department's use of Albescu or worse yet, that he did indeed have mental issues. Add in the fact that he didn't want people to know about it in the first place and they had themselves a problem.

"Are you having fun staring a hole through me?"

Hoyt held his breath for a few seconds. "Sorry." He poured coffee and stepped over the back of the couch, handing a cup to his friend who leaned back as the computer began sifting through the employee records of the now-defunct carnival. "I was just wondering how we're going to explain how we came up with Ebner as a suspect."

"I just figured we could blame it on BABY." He cut his eyes over at Hoyt, the crooked grin coming across his face. "I sure as hell ain't tellin' anybody what I've been seeing." There was a chuckle as he raised the mug to his mouth. "They all think I'm crazy as an outhouse rat as it is."

"Not as many as you might think." Knowing that his friend rarely watched the news anymore Hoyt pulled his phone out of his pocket, pulled up the headline of a local TV station, and handed the device over. He watched as the PI read the headline and then the article about the police union's vote of no confidence against Whitaker.

"So when did that get started?" The voice was very quiet.

"When Larry Carlisle got pissed about how the jackass treated you and went to his union rep asking for the vote."

Matt nodded and then spoke. "There's gotta be more to it than just me."

"There is; but him giving you the boot was the last straw." He accepted the phone back and slipped it in his pocket. "I think maybe you're gettin better at this psychic stuff. How did you know I was staring at you?"

There was another chuckle. "I could see your reflection in the monitor." Both men started laughing.

After checking through the records of the carnival they came to the conclusion that if Ebner did indeed have a partner it wasn't someone from the carnival. The pair went out on the patio and had a seat at the table there. "So…" The PI propped his feet up in a chair. "What do you think?"

"Obviously were going to need to keep track of Ebner."

Nodding his agreement, Matt looked out across the skyline. "I noticed the box truck at Party Central when we were leaving. Looks like they keep it parked out front. I didn't see any cameras out there."

"So I guess we'll be planting some critters tonight."

"I'm not so sure that it's a good idea for you to be involved beyond this point, bud." Matt turned his attention back to the cop. "You're already in enough trouble."

"You know what? If I get fired for catching a nutcase killer then so be it. It sure wouldn't make the department look good."

"So you didn't tell me what Anne said when you got home last night." He watched as a big smile spread across the lieutenant's face.

"I guess I should get suspended more often. Let's just say that I'm glad that Kathy was spending the night at her friend's house." A chuckle followed as a look of surprise went across the PI's face before he started laughing as well.

"So Anne likes a bad boy, huh? No wonder you've been in such a good mood today." Both men got quiet again and then another smile went across Matt's face.

"Uh oh. What are you plotting now?"

"I think I just figured out how to handle this - with a little help from another friend."


	10. Chapter 10

**10**

Hoyt and Houston slid into a booth at the Burger Nerd on Santa Monica Boulevard just south of the Federal Building and were joined in just a minute by FBI Special Agent Alexander Bateaux. "Long time no see." He gave the pair a big smile. "And I bet I know why we're having this little meeting. Seems I heard that both of you boys are persona non grata with LAPD right now."

"So is the chief. What's your point?" The PI snickered as did the other two men.

"Couldn't happen to a better bastard." He picked up the cup of coffee that Matt had put in front of him and took a bite of cherry turnover. "So what have you two got?" He listened quietly as the pair informed him of their research into the killings. "Uh huh." Coffee was consumed as he watched them. "And how did we get onto Ebner?"

Matt was the first to answer. "Research."

"Uh huh. And maybe a little help from that special instinct that you have?" After a slight pause the answer was a nod. "Seems like Whitaker put his money on the wrong psychic."

"I'm not psychic." Houston polished off his turnover and attacked the cup of coffee.

"Right." Bateaux rolled his eyes. "So tell me what we've got." He picked up the turnover as he listened, pausing with the pastry halfway to his mouth when the PI told him what had happened when he held Leslie Sullivan's hairbrush, and then hastily putting it back down on its wrapper as he learned of the visit to Party Central earlier in the day. "_Mon Dieux!" _Matt went on to explain the rest of their research into Leon Ebner and then excused himself as his phone rang. He stood and walked away from the table. Bateaux spoke very quietly to the cop. "Has that ever happened before?"

"No. And he didn't tell you everything." The tone was serious as he related what had happened at the office after the visit to the party planner. "But he conveniently left that part out."

The agent looked back over his shoulder and saw that Houston was still talking on the phone. "So other than that he seems okay?"

"Other than that he's just fine, Alex. Surely you don't believe all that crap that Placer spews?"

"No. But after going through whatever the hell all he went through…" He left the rest unsaid, mostly because very few people actually knew what had happened while Matt had been in Mexico trying to break his cousin Will out of Diego Mendoza's compound; Matt hadn't told either of conversation ended as the PI returned to the table.

"Was that the boss checking up on you?" Michael finished the turnover.

"Yup." He took a sip of coffee and looked across at Alex. "So are you in?"

"Would I want to pass up a chance to make Whitaker look like even more of an ass?"

At 10:30 that night Michael dropped Matt off near Party Central on Washington Avenue. The PI approached the building from the rear, found the phone box, and carefully deactivated the alarm. He had done some digging that afternoon into the company's security contract with a major national carrier, discovering that the owners were using one of the most outdated systems still on the market. There was a barely stifled snicker when he found that one of the back doors was unlocked before he cursed himself when he realized that Ebner could be the reason why it wasn't secured. After a moment's indecision, he pulled the Glock out of the back waistband of his jeans and disengaged the safety. Slowly, he opened the door - just enough to slide inside - and waited for his eyes to adjust to the almost pitch black interior of the warehouse. There was absolutely no sound aside from the air unit kicking on. Making his way through the darkened interior he found the way up to where he and Michael had seen the merry go round earlier in the day and was somewhat relieved to see that particular one was evidently rented at the moment. He had been secretly dreading returning to the building and his conversation with CJ that afternoon during the meeting with Bateaux came back to the surface of his mind. Somehow she had known that all was not well. Not that he had admitted it of course. Upsetting her or causing her worry was something that he was trying his best to avoid. But all the same she knew that something was afoot and told him of her intention to return to LA the following day.

He forced his mind back to the business at hand, pulled a small flashlight out, and placed three of the tiny BugBytes cameras in areas that would cover where he believed the murder of Leslie Sullivan had occurred. After carefully considering what he had seen he checked the floor in the area. There was no sign of blood. _Shit._

Next he picked the lock on the door leading into the office and went inside. After a quick tour of the room he planted two more of the miniscule cameras before giving the front desk a good going-over. Nothing. He carefully went back out to the warehouse being sure to lock the door behind him, then went back out the door at the rear of the building. Since it had been unlocked when he arrived leaving it unlocked seemed like the best idea. The alarm was reactivated and he slipped down the BNSF railroad tracks behind the business and came out at a Taco Shack less than a third of a mile away where a worried-looking Hoyt sat behind the wheel of the truck. The PI hopped into the passenger seat of the now black pick up. Wordlessly the cop drove the truck up Washington Avenue and pulled in behind the box truck at an angle so that Matt could quickly pop a critter on the back of the vehicle and a camera on the brick of the building's front. As soon as he was back inside they pulled out of the parking lot and the Texan slipped the phone from his pocket, dialing Bateaux.

Sitting in the van that belonged to Houston Investigations, the man answered as soon as the phone began to vibrate. "Yeah?"

"Got it taken care of. How're you doing?" Houston reached down for a bottle of water and took a swig.

"All quiet here." The agent was watching the monitors in the back of the van where four different cameras were aimed at the duplex on Boris Avenue where Leon Ebner lived. "Haven't seen him."

"No cars there?"

"Nope."

"Well if he's got one it isn't registered in his name. Probably why he's using the box truck from Party Central."

"As close as this is to his work it probably isn't a big deal for him. I would think he rides out in the truck with the rest of the equipment when it comes time for a job."

"Or takes a cab." The PI downed more of the water. "You sure you can handle the night watch?"

"Yup. Don't worry, I'll call you if anything happens, _mon ami._"

"Let me know if you change your mind, _amigo._ See you about six if nothing happens before then." He disconnected the call and the pair began the approximately seven mile trip to the Houston offices. He and Michael would take turns watching the cameras he had just installed and could monitor those in the van if the FBI agent needed a break.

The cop shut off the engine once parked in the garage of the Houston Industries building and the duo silently went up in the elevator to the penthouse. Matt's phone rang as he began turning the key in the elevator and Michael went up and punched in his code for the doors of the office and unlocked them, knowing from the tone of his voice that his friend was talking to CJ. He went straight behind the bar and started yet another pot of coffee and overheard enough of the conversation between the couple to know that CJ was planning to fly in the next day. After a quiet discussion he heard the usual I love you from the PI right before he walked up into the office, closing and locking the doors behind him as an extra safety precaution.

"So she's flying in tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah." Matt gave him a somewhat disgusted look.

"What?"

"Why did you call her?"

"I didn't." He received a doubtful look. "Honest, man."

"Then how…" He didn't finish but shook his head and went behind the bar for coffee.

"She knows you, Houston. Probably better than you know yourself." There was no reply and he watched as the PI crossed and stepped over the back of the couch to turn on BABY. The BugBytes program was accessed and he began going through the video from Party Central since the cameras had been placed. Absolutely nothing had happened. They sat in silence.

"So is she bringing the kids?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I miss them."

"Get ready. They're a handful." The PI chuckled.

"No surprise there. They are your kids after all."


	11. Chapter 11

**11**

Alex took a seat in the back booth of the Waffle Hut at the corner of Eastern and Washington Boulevard. Michael and Matt entered the restaurant a couple of minutes later and after placing their orders the three all took long sips of coffee. Matt had convinced the other two to catch a nap and let him monitor the critters from twelve thirty until three and then went and caught a couple of hours sleep in the bed downstairs at his office. It was now just after six.

"Patterson will be here in a few minutes." The agent saw the less than thrilled look on the PI's face.

"I really don't want to have to explain some of this to him." Houston now wore a worried expression.

"You don't have to…" Bateaux stopped talking as the waitress approached with their orders and then once she was gone he leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I already warned him not to ask or you would walk out the door." There was a grin.

"I will, too, if he asks about it. Fair warning. I realize you had to tell him something to get assigned to this but…" He didn't finish as the very man they were discussing entered the small restaurant, looked around and spied them in the booth.

Geoffrey Patterson was in his early fifties, graying at the temples, and could have been the poster child for the FBI. The navy blue suit, white shirt, discreet tie, and shiny black shoes looked like they were standard issue. "Mr. Houston, Lieutenant Hoyt…" Hands were shaken and he took a seat next to Bateaux. "Agent Bateaux tells me that you two have pieced together some unsolved murders here to some in the midwest."

"Yes, sir. Thanks for meeting with us." Houston flagged the waitress down and after a moment's delay, Patterson declared that he would have the same as Michael. A steaming mug of coffee was brought to him and the four men began discussing the case so far, minus the visions. After being apprised of their surveillance the night before he got a sober expression. "I would have preferred that Alex had informed me of this yesterday afternoon."

Matt's face was just as serious. "I'm working for Leslie Sullivan's mother. I came to Alex out of courtesy. But if you don't want the help to possibly find the murderer of the five ladies back east…"

"We do want the help. And make no mistake - I appreciate it. We just need to be sure that things are handled in an appropriate manner. Mr. Houston, I have every confidence in your ability. If not, we wouldn't be sitting here right now." He now turned his attention to Hoyt. "I understand from Bateaux that you are on suspension from the department."

"Yes, sir."

"So you aren't involved in this investigation in your official capacity."

"He's working as an advisor to my agency." Houston almost got it out without grinning, immediately cutting his eyes over at the cop who somewhat winced and shook his head causing both the PI and Alex to begin laughing.

Patterson grinned. "I'll buy that. Anyway, all I ask is that you keep me updated. You two…" He motioned to Alex and Matt. "...have made a great team in the past. I have no doubts that you will continue on that same path. Ah, breakfast!" He gladly accepted the steaming platter from the waitress. After several minutes of enjoying the food and asking Matt about the ranch in Texas, the man lowered his voice once again. "If you three are here...who's minding the store?"

"My wife." Houston had arranged with CJ the night before for her to keep track of the videos while they met up.

"Ah. Just wondered." Patterson nodded his approval, wiped out the pancakes and sausage, bid the men good luck and said he looked forward to their next report. Hoyt noticed a visible relief from the PI when he left.

"That went well." Alex toasted with his coffee and with a smirk on his face asked Hoyt, "So how do you like working for him?"

"Unh." Hoyt rolled his eyes and all three cracked up. Just then Matt's phone rang.

"Yeah, Babe?"

"I have undeniable proof as it relates to the boxers or briefs question on your suspect: boxers. Dingy ones with pin stripes to be exact." Matt passed the information on to the other two and watched as the FBI agent nearly snorted orange juice up his nose. "And tell Alex he did a great job planting that critter on the light pole."

"Thanks for the pertinent information. So what was he doing?"

"Checking the mailbox. He went right back in. For which I'm sure the neighborhood is rejoicing." Down in Texas she heard the sound of her husband's chuckle and then the other two laughing when he told them. "So what's the plan now?"

"Give us about half an hour or so and we'll take it back over. And thanks, Babe."

"You're welcome, hon. Just be careful, okay? Oh, and we'll be taking off around ten here so that will put us there about eleven LA time. Bo and Lamar will be meeting us. Do you want me to come to the office?"

He swallowed coffee as he considered it. "Nah, just work out of Houston Investigations North. And try to get a nap, too."

"Alright. See you later, baby. Love you."

"Love you more. 'Bye." He disconnected the call as the other two men made kissy faces. "Shut up." He wiped out the rest of the breakfast platter in front of him. "Okay, my plan is to try to get a critter or two inside his place at the next opportunity. Michael, you go on back to the office and keep an eye on things from there. Me and the fibby will take the van. As soon as we get transmission from inside the house I guess he can go home and get a shower and some sleep." There was a general agreement and the three men left and headed to their posts.

Matt pulled to a stop down the street from Ebner's rental house and joined Alex in the back of the van. Both men yawned and leaned back in their chairs as they stared at the monitors in front of them. It was after 9:30 when their target came out of his house and started walking south. "Party Central opens at ten. If he's going to walk there…" The PI thought about it.

"He could make it in time. Probably about fifteen to twenty minutes. If that's where he's going."

"We should be able to pick him up on the critters I put up there. If he does go there I'm going to hit the house."

Bateaux nodded his agreement and listened as Matt called Michael and told him that their boy was on the move.

A little over ten minutes later the cop called to tell them that Ebner had just showed up. "Looks like he caught a ride with someone else who works there. They were in a Honda."

"Can you see the plate?"

"Yeah, it's California 9-Frank-Tom-William-829." Michael listened as there was a flurry of keystrokes.

"The owner is Carlos Rivera. And…" Consulting a list of Party Central employees he nodded. "He works there, too. Okay, I'll get the critters planted and be back to the office ASAP."

"Just watch your backside." Disconnecting the call, he shook his head. Houston had been able to run the registration on the car quicker than he could have by calling his clerk Merlin Jackson.

Back on Boris Avenue Matt donned the coveralls that he kept in the van for just such occasions. He put on a pair of nitrile gloves, picked up a sprayer and exited the van, spraying a stream of water around the side of the house as he worked his way around to the back. There was no one in sight and it appeared that the neighbors had all left for work. He tapped on the back door and waited. No answer. He tapped again, cautiously looking around to make sure that he wasn't being watched. The lock was a cheap one and there didn't appear to be any security system. He had run a check the night before and Ebner didn't have a contract with any security companies. A search of his internet activity also didn't show any wireless security connections. In a matter of seconds he was in the house and moving swiftly, placing a camera in the kitchen, bedroom, and living room, making a quick sweep looking for anything that could connect their target to the murders. Less than three minutes later he was coming around the other side of the house spraying and went back to the van. Alex had moved up to the driver's seat after making sure that the cameras were transmitting and pulled away from the curb as soon as Matt closed the door.


	12. Chapter 12

**12**

Back at the penthouse offices of Houston Investigations Matt stepped off the elevator, used the lock out option and went up the steps to the main part of the office locking the doors behind him. Hoyt was kicked back on the couch watching the feed from Party Central and looked back over his shoulder. "No excitement?"

"_Nada._" Glancing at his watch the PI thought about CJ and the kids. They would be landing within the hour.

"You know you could go home and spend some time with them." Michael had immediately known what he was thinking about.

"No. We need to get this bastard before he tries to kill somebody else." Cutting his eyes over to his friend he grinned. "Are you getting psychic in your old age?"

"Nope. Just know you." Both turned their attention back to the monitor. "And there he is. Looks like they're loading a truck." Ebner and the man that he had caught the ride from were loading folding chairs and some other equipment and then left.

Matt leaned forward and checked the tracking device on the box truck. "So let's see where they're headed." They were silent as the red dot flashed on the screen and moved south and then west. "He's on I-5." The dot continued moving west then onto I-10 and almost forty five minutes later stopped on Strathmore Drive. "It's a sorority house at UCLA." A worried look was exchanged. "Prime targets everywhere."

"Uh huh. Which one is it?"

"Sigma Rho Xi." The PI scratched at the whiskers on his face. "But…" He got up and began pacing around. "He's been killing at night. At least here. Don't know about back east."

"True." Both men looked toward the doors as the elevator chimed. "I believe your better half is here." He watched as Houston went up and over the couch reaching the doors just as CJ unlocked them.

"Hey…" He pulled her into a big hug. "I thought you were going to the ranch."

"I decided you might need some help." Pulling him down for a kiss, her arms arms tightened around his neck. The cop just shook his head, grinned, and went back to watching the monitors. In a minute the pair joined him on the couch. He noticed Matt seemed a lot happier than he had been just five minutes before.

"So you decided he needed more supervision, did you?" Michael grinned as she swatted at him.

"Well, since you can't seem to stay out of trouble either _somebody_ had to keep an eye on y'all." She happily settled into Matt's arm and looked at the screen. "Who's at UCLA?"

"Ebner." Matt explained their surveillance efforts.

"You've been busy. So I guess about all we can do now is watch and wait."

"Pretty much." He pulled her closer, glad that she had come to the office.

"So glad you could make it." John Whitaker stood as Tamara Placer approached the table at the chic eatery not far from LAPD headquarters. As he helped her up to the table most of the nearby patrons were watching the pair.

With a fake smile plastered on her face the reporter spoke. "I certainly hope that you've come up with a solution to the problem."

"No." He saw the look of anger that momentarily flitted across her face before the smile automatically reattached itself. "I believe that it is going to take some help from you to get things straightened out. But since a certain person happens to be in town…" He stopped as the waiter approached. They ordered and sipped wine as both thought over the situation before he continued. "I wonder if his wife is with him? Or by chance maybe he's seeing someone? Maybe if we can cast more doubt on him it will take some of the heat off of me."

"Well, if you'll recall there's that little piece of paper that gets in my way here in California." She had thrown an absolute fit when Houston had gotten a restraining order against her that kept her away from his home, office, and at least fifty feet away from him anywhere else. It had taken her very high-priced lawyer to keep her from being jailed after she had violated the terms; Channel 12 had immediately terminated her contract.

"But I'm sure you have other ways. Maybe one of your co-workers could help out?"

Placer took a sip of wine and considered the idea. "I suppose it's possible." After a little more consideration, she began to smile. "Now that I think about it, I believe that I know just the person to use."

Back at Houston Investigations, CJ had convinced both men to try to catch a nap since it appeared that most likely Leon Ebner wouldn't be likely to strike until nightfall. Michael had decided to head home to grab a shower and the suggested rest before coming back in a few hours. Matt stretched out on the couch with his head in CJ's lap and was asleep within a couple of minutes. Although she had tried to wheedle out of him what had been going on that he wasn't telling her, he continued to deny that there were any problems. After the last few months she couldn't help but worry.

The afternoon passed slowly with Ebner and Rivera making another trip back to the sorority house, the second trip consisting of carnival concession equipment like cotton candy and popcorn machines. Out of curiosity she looked up Sigma Rho Xi's MugBook page and saw that they were going to take part in a fundraiser the following night on the UCLA Intramural Field. Entertainment would include carnival games, an auction, as well as clowns and face painting. _Bet the creep is going to be performing._

Michael turned back up at 6:00 and had a seat on the couch where Houston was still zonked out. "At least he isn't snoring."

"Not now." CJ couldn't help but snicker. "Guess I better wake him up. I've got dinner on the way." She reached down and began to gently rub his cheek, a grin spreading across his face before he took her hand and pulled her down toward him even while his eyes were still closed. "Easy, Cowboy. We've got company."

"Well, hell." He opened his eyes and stared accusingly at the cop who broke into an easy laugh.

"You can get all lovey dovey after we catch Ebner."

The phone on the end table buzzed and CJ picked it up. "Hi, Eric….Uh huh, we're expecting them. Thanks." She hung up and prodded her husband. "Supper is on the way up if you'll go take care of the elevator."

He grunted as he got off the couch, smoothing the back of his hair down as he went toward the office doors. In a couple of minutes he was back carrying a large bag from Sabrina's and the three settled in on the couch to eat as they continued to watch the surveillance feed.

"I figured you boys have probably been eating nothing but fast food the last couple of days. So now you can eat some veggies. And of course there's cheesecake."

"Mmph." Matt tore into the chicken and dumplings that she had ordered for him as did Michael. All three kept an eye on the various tabs open on the monitor.

After polishing off his dinner plus dessert, the PI stood up and began pacing around. He would like to be able to plant some critters on the grounds of the sorority house but knew that security was pretty tight and anyone out of the usual would attract unwanted attention. They had eyes on Leon Ebner about as good as they possibly could and now with CJ helping there were four of them involved. With the tracking device on the truck from Party Central they would hopefully be able to keep anyone else from becoming his victim. He was brought out of his thoughts as CJ took him by the hand and urged him out onto the patio.

"So…" She had a huge smile on her face. "I took the test this morning…"

"Uh huh. And?"

"You're going to be a daddy again."

He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I love you, Babe." They shared a kiss.

"Think you can make a prediction?" She took his hand and placed it on her belly.

As Michael watched the pair from inside a smile covered his face. _So there's going to be another one. Good._

Matt closed his eyes as he concentrated. CJ stood holding her breath. He had been right each time she had been pregnant. She had no doubt he would be again. A surprised look covered his face.

"What?"

He shook his head slightly and got a more serious look before a shocked expression surfaced. "Oh, my Lord."

"What?"

"Oh, boy."

"What?!"

"You aren't going to believe this." He started laughing as she reached over and smacked him on the arm. "Babe, there's two of 'em in there."

"No."

"Yup. Not sure what, though."

"Twins...again?"

"Yup." He pulled her in close, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "Think you can handle it again?"

"I can. But I wonder about Sheila?" Both started laughing.

"She might demand combat pay." They looked up as Hoyt came out to the patio.

"Well - what is it? I know there's a bun in the oven."

"No - there isn't." CJ grinned as did her husband.

"Bull. I saw..."

"Might want to have a seat, pard. There's two of 'em in there."

"Oh, dear sweet Lord!" He sagged against the doorframe as the pair began laughing. "Sheila is going to kill you two." Shaking his head he went back into the office and had a seat on the couch going back to watching the monitor but glancing up to see the pair sharing a kiss. "Lord, have mercy on the universe. Maybe it's girls. That wouldn't be so bad."


	13. Chapter 13

**13**

Before their bedtime, Matt had called to talk to the kids and promised that as soon as he was able that they would take a ride up to the lake for a picnic. Michael had agreed to come along and the children were ecstatic.

Matt convinced CJ to go downstairs and go to bed around eleven that night and after tucking her in, he came back up and poured himself and Michael coffee. He sat back down on the couch and handed the cup over. They watched the feed from Ebner's house. Their target had arrived home a little after eight o'clock and had spent the better part of the evening watching TV. It had been uneventful and thoroughly boring.

Around 12:30 the men heard one of the doors to the office rattling. The elevator had been locked so both men knew that someone must have come up the stairs. The PI quickly shut down the computer and they went over the back of the couch, simultaneously drawing their pistols. Matt pointed to himself and then CJ's office as the cop nodded and plastered himself against the wall to the right of the doorway. The PI quietly unlocked the door that led from CJ's office into the outer office and found two men, one of whom was carrying a video camera. "Hold it right there." Both men froze, only moving their heads. "Put the camera down."

The cameraman balked. "That's private property-"

"So is this office that you broke into. Put it down." He motioned with the pistol. "Now." He watched as the man slowly obeyed. "Michael, would you make a phone call, please?"

"Already done." He exited through CJ's office as well, deciding that it would be best not to let the intruders get a look inside. "Hands on the wall." He holstered his weapon as Matt continued to hold the men at gunpoint. As he started to frisk the cameraman he met with resistance.

"You can't do that."

"Sure I can. You've just committed burglary." He shoved the man against the wall and removed his wallet tossing it to the PI who glanced at the ID inside quickly, seeing that he was employed by CNZ. Michael removed the other man's wallet and opened it up. "So Matthew Waller, why has CNZ sent you here tonight?" He showed the man's press credentials to Matt.

"None of your business." The answer was snippy.

"One of us needs to get back to work." The anger in the PI's voice was easy to hear. "Why don't you go on back and I'll wait for the police since I'm the property owner." He picked up the phone on the desk and called down to security, requesting that the shift supervisor personally come up. Once he hung up and unlocked the elevator, Michael went back in to keep an eye on Ebner.

"So what are y'all doing up here?" He sat down on the corner of the desk. The reporter started to turn to face him. "Nope. Get back on that wall."

"There's really no need to be so hostile."

"Trust me - this isn't hostile. Now - why are you here?" He watched as the two men exchanged a look but said nothing. He turned his attention to the elevator where a worried looking man in a blue security uniform stepped off, his jaw dropping as he saw the two men that were being held at gunpoint. "Palmer, how did these two get access to the building and the stairway?"

"I…" The dark face was full of worry. "Sir, I don't know. There haven't been any alarms."

Matt's voice began the descent into a growl. "So what does this tell you? I seriously doubt if these idiots have enough smarts to get inside on their own. Who's working tonight?"

"Well, there's MacIntosh, Venice, Manzana, and Poretski. And me."

"Guess we need to figure out who's working with them." The undisguised anger in his voice caused the man to nod his head rapidly. "I expect to hear something within the hour. There's already a call in to the police."

"Yes, sir." Palmer quickly disappeared inside the elevator and within a couple of minutes it reopened with a familiar face stepping into the office.

"How ya doin', Luis?" Matt secured his pistol in the waistband of his jeans and the former clerk for Hoyt's office and his partner placed the two men in handcuffs. "Michael, you might want to step out here for a minute."

Hoyt came to the door and a big smile spread across his face as he saw the sergeant. "Luis, good to see you." They shook hands.

"You too, sir. So what's the deal?" He jerked his head in the direction of the two intruders.

"Apparently they had some inside help. I've got the supervisor downstairs checking into it." Matt's expression was one of seriousness. "Trespassing, burglary...whatever you can stick 'em with."

"You got it. Let's go." He gave the reporter a slight shove and picked up the video camera and then paused. "Freddie, I'll meet you downstairs at the security desk." No one spoke as the elevator closed and descended once more. "Wonder if there's anything on here?" He gave the other two men a questioning look and handed it over to the PI who checked it. "Some incriminating evidence. There's Venice opening the alley door for them and then the stairwell. And it looks like he gave them a key to the door here, too."

"Good thing I've got another pair of cuffs." He took the camera, bid the men farewell and left on the elevator.

The two friends drifted back into the office and as Matt sat down in front of BABY Michael went behind the bar and brought back two bottles of water, handing one over to the PI. "Thanks." Matt twisted the cap off and took a long swig as he watched Leon Ebner leave the living room and in a moment appear in the bedroom where he crawled into bed and snapped off the lamp. "Looks like he's staying in tonight."

"That's good for any intended target but sucks for us." Hoyt shook his head and took a drink before slouching back on the couch. "Have you talked to Roy lately?"

There was a delay as Matt stared thoughtfully at the bottle and then took another long drink. His voice was barely audible. "No. I haven't seen him since the funeral."

The cop was shocked. _Surely he doesn't blame Matt?_

"CJ has talked to him. And she talks to Mama every couple of days. But he won't talk to me."

There was a moment of silence. Since Matt had recovered from his wounds and depression Michael had never asked him what had happened in Mexico. But he broke his silence on the subject. "He doesn't blame you for what happened does he? That just doesn't sound like Roy."

"According to CJ he's just afraid that it will bother me to talk to him. It couldn't be any farther from the truth. It hurts - just like when Daddy and I were at odds."

"What…" The cop faltered. "What in the hell happened down there?" He sat in silence as Houston very quietly told him all about what had taken place when he got to the compound of his drug lord cousin Diego Mendoza just outside of Nuevo Laredo and how he and Will had made a desperate dash for the Rio Grande and the US.

"And he just - he just shot his own grandmother?" The answer was a nod and the PI finished off the bottle of water.

"She had dreams - like I do." Matt looked over to his friend. "She told me that she had dreamed of how it would end for over a year. That's what finally brought me out of my funk when I thought about that: there was nothing that I could have done to change it. It was just what was going to happen."

"I'm sorry. I just…" Hoyt didn't know what to say but put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"It was bad enough that it happened and that I had so much trouble wrapping my head around it. But all this crap with Placer talking about something that she has absolutely no clue about and calling me unhinged…" He just shook his head.

"And Whitaker on top of it. Apparently the son of a bitch doesn't even realize that we are required to meet with a department psychologist after certain kinds of calls." He looked at Matt who continued to stare at the bottle. "I'm just waiting, though; you and I both know that when Placer can't get what she wants out of him he'll be the next one on her chopping block."

"Yep. And I can't wait for karma to kick both of their asses."


	14. Chapter 14

14

The remainder of the night passed uneventfully and the men took turns keeping watch. CJ took over around eight o'clock the next morning and couldn't believe that she had slept through all the excitement the night before. Michael went home and Matt retired to the bed on the lower level of the office.

About two that afternoon, the PI came back upstairs to find a salad waiting for him in the fridge behind the bar and as he sat down on the couch next to CJ to eat he leaned over and the pair shared a kiss. "Thanks for helping, Babe."

"You two can't be awake 24/7. Oh, and Alex called. He's going to be here late this afternoon. Patterson needed him on something else this morning and said that he felt sure that we could handle it just fine until then." They both looked towards the doors as Michael entered carrying a container.

"Kathy sent some vital supplies for the effort." The cop proudly set the box on the table in front of them and raised the lid to show the cupcakes inside.

With his mouth half-full of salad Matt spoke. "Good. Now I've got desert."

CJ reached in for one. "Chocolate! The other food group." With a satisfied hum she took a bite. "Wonderful!"

Michael went back over the couch and came back a couple of minutes later with two cups of coffee and a cup of peppermint tea for CJ. "My lady…" He grinned as she took the steaming mug.

"Thank you."

Matt had wiped out the salad and reached into the box giving a happy grunt as he took a bite. "Ummmmm, good stuff." He pulled out his phone and sent the girl a text thanking her.

The cop turned his attention back to the case. "So what's the jerk been up to?"

"Not much. The event that he was supposed to be working at the park was cancelled apparently. He's spent most of the day cleaning chairs and repairing a couple of the bounce houses. But I'm willing to bet that he's one of the clowns that will be working the sorority fundraiser tonight."

Matt stopped mid-bite of his second cupcake.

"What?" She turned her attention to him.

"I wonder what Paul has going this evening?" Matt looked at the other two and saw the concerned look on CJ's face. Paul Novelli - an Aerospace Engineering major at nearby USC - was the son of former LAPD lieutenant Vince Novelli. "I don't mean put him where he will be in danger but he could kind of blend in with the crowd and keep us updated a little."

"Don't guess that would hurt." Michael considered it and both men looked to CJ.

"I don't want him getting too close to Ebner."

"Uh huh." Matt dialed the young man and after explaining what was going on, was assured that he would be happy to help. Hanging up he grinned. "Sounds more like Vince every time I talk to him." He got quiet for a minute. "Guess we ought to let Lee know that we're on to something. Have you heard anything about their investigation?"

There was a bark of laughter from the cop. "That Albescu woman has been dragging them all over the place. Gabby called today saying that they were in Beverly Hills at a makeup convention. Albescu thought it might give them a lead on the clown mask. Gabby on the other hand thought she was trying to buy in bulk since she uses so much on her own face."

"Poor Lee." Matt couldn't help but snicker.

"I'm really surprised that Gabby hasn't killed her yet." CJ shook her head and all three chuckled.

Michael placed a call to the young detective and brought him up to speed, surprised that the younger man didn't question how they had become alert to Ebner.

"You know what, LT? Go for it. As much as I hate not catching the bastard myself it will be great to see this woman make Whitaker look like even more of a dumbass."

The afternoon passed quickly and the three were joined by Alex around 4:30. They had decided to take the van and the agent's car to work out of and as he finished cleaning his pistol at the bar, Matt looked up to see a concerned CJ approaching and taking a seat on the stool next to him. "You okay?"

"Yes. But please be careful out there. I've got a feeling that he's going to hit tonight. And you do, too." She watched as he put the pistol back together and wiped it down with a cloth. His answer was a nod. "Did you see anything else?"

"No. But that place is most likely going to be crawling with ladies that match his preference. After studying both of the girls here it looks like he just picks them at random - at least as long as they are blonde and petite. We couldn't find any connection between either of the girls or him either."

"Was that Glenda Sullivan that you were on the phone with earlier?"

"Uh huh. I told her that I thought we were getting close." He began to put the brushes and oil back into the kit. "She sounded like she might have been drinking again. When Lee went to interview her last week she was drunk."

"That has to be awful." Her mind shot back to the baby that they had lost not long before and a jolt of fear of losing the babies she carried now washed over her. She looked back up and he was studying her face.

In a very soft voice he told her, "That was a complete fluke, Babe. It's not going to happen again so don't worry." Taking her hand in his, he squeezed and leaned forward gently kissing her.

"Good Lord, there they go again." Michael punched Alex in the ribs as they both tried to look annoyed.

"Shut up, Gramps." He gave her a peck on the cheek. "You be careful yourself. And Walter will be stationed out in the lobby just in case."

"That isn't necessary, hon."

"After last night - yeah, it is."

She watched as the three friends left, and heard as the door was locked and the alarm activated. Sighing, she crossed back over and took a seat on the couch, hoping that the case would come to an end that night with no one else getting hurt.

Michael and Matt parked on Charles E. Young Drive North across from the intramural field while Alex staked out the Party Central building and planned to follow Ebner to the event. As they waited Matt kept trying to stay relaxed but continually felt himself tensing up. It was definitely going to happen that night. He only hoped that their plans would have them in a position to nab Ebner before he could harm another girl. Involuntarily he jumped when Alex's voice came across the radio. "He's in the truck. Looks like Rivera is driving his car. Our boy is alone in the truck."

"Ya know…" The PI slowly nodded. "I should have taken a look in that truck the other night."

Michael shrugged. "I've got a feeling that in a little while we will - only not having to sneak to do it. I really think he's going to hit tonight."

They listened as Alex followed the truck on a direct route to the field and saw as it parked not far ahead of them followed by the car of Rivera. Both men went into the back of the truck and in a couple of minutes Rivera jumped down and pushed a dolly of supplies across the busy street toward the field. Music was already pounding from the speakers surrounding the field and a crowd had started to gather. Matt's phone rang. "Hey, Paul."

"We're here."

"We?"

"Yeah, I brought Cassandra with me." The young man gave a laugh. "Thought it would help my cover."

Hoyt started laughing and Matt grinned. "Alright. Our guy is in the truck - no, he's coming out now. Got on a clown outfit. Do y'all see the makeup?" He watched as Ebner turned his head to the left to check the traffic before crossing the busy street.

"Looks just like Sullivan's face." Alex swore under his breath. He felt his stomach churn.

"Paul, do you remember what I told you about his makeup and the green hair?"

"Yeah, I know what he looks like." The young man was holding hands with his date as they strolled through the carnival. "I'll let you know when I find him." With that he hung up and casually began scanning the crowd.

Back in the van Matt felt a twinge of worry and then reminded himself that Paul was a grown man now. It still didn't seem possible. He still thought of the Novelli boys as just that - boys. It was a shock to him every time he saw them and saw how much they had changed.

He looked at his phone as it buzzed with a text from CJ: _Moved the satellite to cover the field_._ Be careful._ As he informed the other two men he replied: _I will. Love you._

Half an hour passed before Paul called them back. "I spotted the jerk. He's doing a lame balloon animal act. All I can say is that doesn't look like a giraffe." Everyone cracked up.

"What area is he in?" Matt pulled up the satellite feed.

"Oh, I'd say it's about a hundred and fifty feet from the southwest corner of the field. He's in a yellow popup shelter."

Matt zoomed in on the area. "Okay. Thanks bud. Remember what I told you earlier - don't take any chances."

"I won't, Uncle Matt." He ended the call and paid for the cotton candy that Cassandra had ordered. They began walking around looking at some of the other booths, all the while not straying too far from the clown.

Back in the van the time drug by slowly. Matt stood up and stretched after a couple of hours as did Hoyt. As the cop sat back down he looked at his watch. "I wonder what time this deal wraps up?"

"No idea." It was just after nine.

By ten o'clock the crowd was starting to thin and they could see from the satellite feed that some of the booths were shutting down. Paul called again. "Uncle Matt, things are winding down here. What do you want me to do?"

Hesitating for a second the PI wanted to tell him to hang around. But instead he told him to go ahead and leave. They had a pretty good view of the booth thanks to the satellite and there was no need for Paul and his date to be in any more danger than they already had been. "I appreciate the help, bud. Talk to you later."

"Okay. See ya." He and Cassandra followed the crowd that was slowly leaving the field.

Back in the van Matt's eyes were watering from watching the monitor so closely. There were only a handful of people left and he could see three people at the yellow booth. Soon there were only two as Rivera came back out with the dolly and put it and a few boxes back inside of the truck before pulling away in his car. A few minutes later the field was all but deserted as the lights were cut. In a minute they could vaguely see the image of someone heading toward the very street where they were parked. "I can't tell if he's with someone or not." Both men as well as CJ back at the office strained to see the image on their screen.

She was the first to speak. "He's got someone with him. It looks like a woman…" All three continued to stare as they continued to head north.

Alex exited his car, making sure that his earwig was secured. He began walking east toward the box truck. "I'm on the street."

"Where in the hell did they go?" CJ had lost track of them as had her husband and Michael.

"I don't know. One minute they were there and the next they were in the dark…"

"I'm headed that way." Alex cursed under his breath. None of them had considered for a moment that they would encounter such a problem, especially not with the use of the satellite.

Matt headed for the door of the van. "We're on the move, too." Michael followed him outside and they just saw Alex as he disappeared behind the hedges along the sidewalk that led to the entrance of the field.

"I see him." The FBI agent moved into the shadows as Ebner and the girl - a petite blonde - moved out onto the driveway. Unfortunately the man had either seen or heard him and he jerked the girl closer causing her to involuntarily yelp. A knife appeared and he began to back away from the agent who now drew his weapon. "Drop it, Ebner! Now!"

Houston and Hoyt started in that direction at a dead run with pistols drawn and heard a strange huffing sound through the radio. When they got to the top of the walkway they were met with the sight of someone lying in the edge of the bushes. "Damn it! Alex, you okay?" Matt knelt down next to the agent who grunted and pointed.

"They...headed down to the...parking...garage. Get him."

"Call it in." Matt headed toward the sweeping circular driveway that led down to the parking garage that was underneath the intramural field with CJ's voice sounding in his ear.

"He's going into the parking garage!" Her view of Alex was cut off by a tree, but she had seen the man running with his arm around the girl's neck. She felt her heart racing as she watched Matt begin to run down the driveway and then jump over the wall, disappearing from sight.

As he entered the garage, Houston could hear the scuffling of feet somewhere ahead of him. Although it was well lit there were a lot of cars inside. Dropping down into a squatting position he leaned over to look underneath the vehicles all the while listening to try to pinpoint Ebner's location. The noise subsided and he figured that the man had stopped to hide. There were numerous vehicles in the garage to conceal them as well as pillars that were spaced about every twenty feet.

Taking a deep breath he listened as Michael was on the phone with dispatch. "Tell them to block off all exits to Parking Structure 7." The order was given and Matt looked around on the floor of the garage to see if there were any indications of which way Leon Ebner had taken his intended victim. He also heard Michael direct them to notify the FBI that they had a man down.

Starting to cross the garage quietly, the PI stayed somewhat crouched. If Ebner had successfully thrown a knife and injured Alex there was nothing to prevent him from doing the same to Matt. The agent had been hit in the leg - he was wearing a vest - and as bad as he had been bleeding it was probably a good thing that the lunatic hadn't been able to get to his vital organs. Alex could have been dead before they got to him.

Concentrating on the task at hand, Matt was conscious of the talk between Alex and Michael and could also hear CJ breathing on her end of the radio transmission. "Babe, keep an eye on the outside in case he finds a way out."

"I am." She sounded scared and he now wished that she hadn't come back to LA.

There was a slight scraping sound off to his right and he stopped, crouching down to look in that direction. About three lanes over he could make out feet and started in that direction. There was more scuffling. Apparently the girl was putting up a fight. _Good for you. Give him hell._ The more noise that was made the better it was for Matt, although he was afraid that if she put up too much of a fight the nutjob would kill her on the spot. It was then that he wished he had thought to disable the box truck when Ebner was out on the field. _Too late for that now, Mattlock. Hindsight can be a real bitch sometimes._

As he neared the row where he thought the pair was he heard sirens approaching. Michael was still on the line with dispatch and made sure that they knew that Houston was in the garage as well. He peeked around the back end of a Malibu and saw as the girl was dragged to the other side of a black Frontier. Edging closer he could hear as she was hitting him, striking blows that evidently made him lose his grip on her momentarily and she let out a partial scream before his hand went back over her mouth. Matt took that opportunity to move a little more quickly in their direction.

Ebner snatched the girl up and began trying to run back across the garage, dragging her by her neck. Matt came out from behind the Nissan and drew down on the man. "Ebner, stop!"

The freakish face snapped around in his direction, the smile of the clown makeup in stark contrast to the snarl that was actually on his lips. "One more step and I'll slice her throat right here!"

Coming to a halt the PI continued to aim at the man as the young woman struggled. "Just let her go, man. It isn't going to end well for you if you don't. LAPD is closing in. You can hear the sirens just as well as me. There's going to be too many people-"

It was at that moment that the woman began struggling again, stomping his foot as hard as she could with her own and dropping down to the floor of the garage as he lost his grip again. She began crawling away as fast as possible as Ebner raised the knife up and Houston fired, hitting him in the right side of the chest. The PI moved in on the clown even as the sirens reached a roaring crescendo at the entrance of the garage, the noise ricocheting crazily around the underground structure. He kicked the knife away from the scrabbling hand that was still reaching for it. Ebner had a crazed look in his eyes, almost feverish.

"Shoot him! Shoot him again!" The young woman screamed at him.

"You alright?" Matt took his eyes off of Ebner for only a couple of seconds as he spoke to her.

"Shoot him!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Officers advanced across the garage as the clown lay gasping for breath, the insane look on his face reminding the PI of another madman that he had dealt with years before: Emil Castanos. He continued to cover the man until the officers reached them and saw as Ebner tried to spit blood at the first officer who knelt down to assess his wound. Once there were several officers on scene he lowered his pistol and spoke into the microphone hooked onto his vest. "We got him. It's over."

As Matt walked up out of the garage he was stopped by no less than twenty officers who shook his hand. News cameras were rolling as he exited the garage, seeing Alex was being loaded up in an ambulance. He could see how pale the man was but also saw a smile from beneath the oxygen mask that was on his face and the thumbs up that he gave to the PI. Matt returned it with a grin as Michael approached him.

He spoke into the microphone again. "Babe, you still there?" She had been quiet for quite some time.

"Yeah." Although it was obvious that she had been scared he could also hear the relief in her voice. "You did good, Cowboy. Love you."

"Love you more. Try to get some rest. I'll be back as soon as I can get away."

"Okay."

He and Michael could hear as her radio was switched off and the lieutenant held out to his hand to the man that he considered a brother and they shook. "Well done, my friend."

The pair turned and started back down toward the van to remove their vests and get a drink. "Ya know…" Matt loosened the velcro on the vest and was relieved as a breeze began to cool him off. "I bet I'm gonna be required to sign some paperwork over this." There was a lopsided grin on his face. "Reckon they'll let me in the station to do that?"

"Don't see that they will have any choice." Hoyt smiled as several more officers yelled greetings to the PI and insisted on shaking his hand. "Just like the old days again."


	15. Chapter 15

15

Matt stepped off of the elevator to find CJ and Walter Earhart, head of security for the Houston building, sitting on the steps that led up to the office drinking cocoa. As soon as he set foot in the lobby CJ put the cup on the steps and met him halfway across the floor and wrapped her arms around him. The younger man stood up with a worried look on his face.

After sharing a kiss with his wife, Matt turned his attention to the man who not too many years before had been a new hire on the Houston Industries staff. He held out his hand. "How ya doin', Walter?"

"Okay. But I want to apologize for what happened last night." They shook.

"Not your fault."

"Palmer resigned this morning and of course Venice was fired on the spot."

"Wonder how much they paid him?" CJ had her arm wrapped around Matt's waist and was holding on tight.

"From what I was able to find out from the police report it was a couple of thousand dollars."

"Well, that's over. I sure appreciate you staying up here with CJ tonight, bud."

"I just feel bad that it came to that. You know how we screen these people after the last time that something like this happened."

CJ shook her head. "Just because they've been screened doesn't mean that they won't do something stupid. It wasn't your fault, Walter. Or Palmer's for that matter."

"It sorta was. He admitted to being gone for over an hour right before you busted those idiots. That's against company policy unless there's an emergency."

"Well, at this point it's water under the bridge." Matt looked down at CJ. "I vote we go home tonight."

"Let me close everything up." She turned and took the cups back into the office followed by Matt after he and Walter said goodnight. In a few minutes they had everything locked up and were heading down in the elevator. "How is Alex doing?"

"He should be okay. Michael said Patterson called him after I left the station. They had to do a little surgery on him but he'll be back on his feet in a few weeks. And Ebner should pull through, too. Still have to wonder why in the hell he did it - and why the two different designs on the face. He wouldn't answer any questions before they took him to surgery. But we did find a bloody tarp in the truck. Apparently he used it on the floor of the warehouse to keep from making too much of a mess. Gotta wonder what kind of line he used to get them alone with him." They exited the elevator and he opened the door on the truck for her and helped her inside, then went around and got behind the wheel.

CJ looked across the cab at him. "I made a couple of phone calls while you were asleep today and arranged the funeral for Candace Pressley. She didn't have a soul to care about her."

He nodded and both were quiet for a few minutes. "Ya know I was thinking tonight while I was in the van. What do you want to call these babies?"

"That's a good question. I guess we need to wait until the family psychic figures out if they are boys or girls."

"Which would you prefer?" He grinned already knowing the answer.

"I don't care. I just want them to be healthy and happy."

"Wonder what Catey is going to say?"

"There's no telling. But I'm sure she'll have a _lot_ to say." Both laughed as he reached for her hand and kissed it as they began the journey to the ranch nestled snugly in the Santa Monica Mountains.


End file.
